BOZEMAN (AP) – The Bozeman School Board has voted to discontinue the National School Lunch Program at the high school after deeming the nutrition rules too strict.
The 5-3 vote this past week came after the school’s food program lost $35,000 last year and officials predicted that losses would deepen as federal food rules tighten in the next few years.
While the high school will drop out of the program, the school Board trustees adopted Superintendent Rob Watson’s recommendation that Bozeman’s elementary and middle schools stay in the program.
The Bozeman Chronicle reports that the decision to drop out will mean losing a $117,000 federal subsidy. But officials say it will give the school more flexibility in local food offerings while still maintaining healthy menus.
