Schools
District Upgrades Menus And Equipment In School Cafeterias
The District is seeking to spend in 5 years the $6 million accumulated "illegally" in Funds for Nutrition. A company has been contracted to modernize the menus to new healthy standards.
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Students of Baldwin Park Unified School District (BPUSD) have started to see changes in the menu and equipment their school cafeterias offer, now that authorities are looking to spend $6 million accumulated "illegally" in nutrition funds, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported Tuesday.
According to that newspaper, Compass Group USA Inc.'s Chartwells Division' consulting group has been hired, to both revamp school menus and make sure they are in tune with the new standards of nutrition.
Find out what's happening in Baldwin Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
New kitchen appliances, microwave ovens and salad bars in schools are part of the investment made with the funds, which were strongly questioned by State authorities.
"The ultimate goal is to increase the (student) participation with the breakfast and lunch program here at Baldwin Park Unified School District while staying within these new regulations," said Andres Montoya, member of the consulting firm, to the Tribune.
Find out what's happening in Baldwin Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Last year, state regulators said that along with the "illegal" $6 million in funding for school lunches, the district also wasted about $ 1.5 million in funding for reduced cost lunches.
And although they initially denied having wasted money, Baldwin Park authorities have agreed to return about $1.4 million they used for banking and cleaning costs, says the Tribune.
The consulting company is making examples of recipes to see how children react to the healthier menu, and has also formed a planning committee with parents, district staff, nutritionists and chefs.
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