MONTICELLO, Ill.—Imagine serving lunch and having nobody eat it.
That's what has the Monticello school district pondering a drop from the National School Lunch Program, at least for the high school cafeteria. School officials estimate it could net them $55,000 more annually than trying to meet new mandates going into effect on snack and a la carte items.
Superintendent Vic Zimmerman said the new federal rules could devastate current high school lunches, which generate about $180,000 per year in a la carte sales. The mandate is for healthier choices and smaller portions, but Aramark Food Services director Kari Perkins said it doesn't help anyone if students won't eat it.