The board voted to approve revised child nutrition program budgets for FY2024–25 and proposed FY2025–26 after staff disclosed the program had overspent by about $4 million. Finance staff said they had been monitoring the shortfall since March, worked to reduce deficits later in the year and expected the program to return to balance under a corrective action plan.

What staff said: The superintendent's finance team told trustees the overspend was caused by operational spending and revenue timing issues; staff characterized the issue as overspending rather than missing revenue. They said they had hoped to catch up by fiscal year‑end but the program still showed a multi‑million‑dollar deficit. Staff assured the board that corrective measures and a corrective action plan are being developed with Child Nutrition leadership.

Board reaction and oversight: Trustees questioned how an overspend of this magnitude occurred and why it was not corrected sooner. Board member Martin asked how the deficit reached $4 million without earlier corrective action; staff replied they had been tracking the deficit and were optimistic about returning to balance. Board members directed staff to tighten oversight and to return with the corrective action plan and projected timeline.

Ending: The motion to approve the revised budgets passed; staff will bring a corrective action plan and next steps to the board to prevent recurrence and to identify how the program will be stabilized for FY2025–26.