SMASD sees success with food service provider

ST. MARYS - Despite the uncertainty of rising food and other costs, The Nutrition Group is reporting a profitable year for the St. Marys Area School District.

Jodee Raybuck, regional manager of The Nutrition Group which provides food services for SMASD and other neighboring school districts, said while they expected to see a loss in their 202122 budget the school district saw a return.

Ginger Williams, SMASD business manager, thanked Raybuck and her staff for keeping the food program going and helping to create a profit for the school district. Williams noted all profits go back into the school district’s cafeteria fund. As a result this year they have been able to purchase a new freezer, dishwasher, steamer and kettle. These high value items range in cost from $40,000-$50,000 each, with the most expensive costing $75,000. Williams added the lifespan of this type of equipment is very long as the have only recently had to replace equipment purchased in the 1970s.

Melissa Lundin, school board member, also commended The

Nutrition Group for keeping the food costs low for students as this helps families with rising food costs at home.

The savings were a result of smart budgeting and preparing for the worst case scenarios by The Nutrition Group as they received significantly more in reimbursements than budgeted, maintained expenses and anticipated a loss in profits which did not happen but rather saw earnings in profits around $378,000.

The school district saw a loss of about $93,000 in revenue from its pre-pandemic numbers, specifically in its A la carte offerings. This loss is due to two major areas including budgeting as families are likely not budgeting for this expense due to the free meal option and supply chain challenges prevent schools from offering students favorite meals and other food items. Raybuck noted that schools are now home baking cookies in their kitchens to address part of this issue.

Incoming cash profits decreased significantly over the last year when the USDA and the Pa. Department of Education allowed for all students to obtain free meals in schools.

Supply chain issues are a big piece of unknown expenses along with rising costs, however Raybuck said she is happy to report they are looking at a $10,000 decrease in costs as compared to what was budgeted.

Delivery costs have also increased due to a new state contract along with wages in an effort to stay competitive with wages in the region.

In creating the 202223 budget Raybuck said they are still faced with the unknown and are looking at worst case scenarios as they did when they created last year’s budget.