Feeding Newcastle’s students — School district balances food, finances, flexibility

When Weston County School District No. 1 took Newcastle Middle School and Newcastle High School out of the federal lunch program, district leaders hoped more homemade food and fewer regulations would reduce waste and encourage more students to eat on campus.

Nearly a full school year later, Food Service Director Tracy Leonard said participation and community feedback show encouraging signs, even as rising food prices and operating costs continue to challenge the program financially.

The WCSD No. 1 board of trustees voted unanimously in April 2025 to remove grades 6-12 from the federal meal program for the 2025-26 school year but retained the federal program for Newcastle Elementary. Before the transition, Superintendent Brad LaCroix said students and community members had complained for years that middle school and high school food lacked both quality and quantity.

LaCroix told the News Letter Journal on May 11 that district leaders also wanted more flexibility to serve meals that students would actually eat, without having to follow all federal meal requirements.

“We wanted to be able to feed kids and not have to have the guidelines or the controls,” he said. “I think that was the No. 1 goal of the board.”

According to Leonard, donated beef products have played a major role in helping the district prepare more homemade meals while controlling costs. The district uses donated beef roughly three times per week and approximately 150 to 200 pounds weekly. Leonard said the district has already run out of donated pork. 

The shift away from federal oversight allowed the district to move away from some nutritional requirements students disliked, including whole grain products.

“Our kids are not big on whole grain foods,” Leonard told the NLJ during a May 4 interview.

School board Chair Billy Fitzwater told the NLJ on May 11 that he believes the district is now able to better accomodate students due to increased flexibility and community support through donated beef and pork products.

“I feel we are able to serve better food and more of it for the students,” Fitzwater said.

Under the federal program, middle school and high school students previously had to take multiple meal components, such as fruits, vegetables or grains, for meals to qualify for reimbursement. Leonard said students now have more freedom to choose what they will actually eat.

For example, the district offers a salad bar every day, and students decide whether they want to use it. Leonard and LaCroix said the district has seen less food waste since leaving the federal program for these students.

If food can safely be reused, Leonard said cafeteria staff cool it down and freeze it for future meals. Food that cannot be reused is often distributed as seconds instead of being discarded. At the elementary school, those items would have to be thrown away, she said.

The district has also expanded a la carte offerings. Students can purchase items such as popcorn chicken, pizza, corn dogs, cookies, pickles, snacks and drinks on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Leonard said the district’s main hot lunch line serves roughly 160 to 200 students daily. Another 50 to 75 middle school students use the a la carte line daily, while recent weeks have brought about 10 to 15 high school students per day. Student feedback has heavily shaped the menus.

“What I learned the most is to listen to the kids because they’ll tell you what they like and what they don’t like,” Leonard said.

Students regularly email suggestions to Leonard or speak directly with food service staff during lunch periods, she said. Staff members also watch participation numbers and food waste to evaluate meals.

“My goal is to make sure all kids are fed,” she said.

Leonard said she was surprised that the simplest meals were often the most popular. Student favorites this year have included walking tacos, tacos, cheeseburgers, pizza, chicken bowls, chicken patties and spaghetti.

“Some of the kids, they’d be happy if they had just pizza every single day,” she said.

Some student requests, however, were less practical. For example, a couple of students requested lobster, which was unrealistic, she said.

“Unfortunately, we could not provide that for them this year,” she said. “We could not afford it and have really no way to cook it here.”

Community members have been pleased to see the district frequently serve the donated beef and pork, and many middle school parents have said their children enjoy the meals and ask for hot lunch, Leonard said.

Fitzwater said he has also heard positive feedback from parents and students.

“They enjoy it and are getting good meals,” he said.

Still, financial pressures remain significant.

LaCroix said district leaders anticipated the transition would require financial support during the first year, particularly while participation numbers and a la carte sales continue to grow.

“I think we all assumed that even with donations there was going to be a component of risk,” LaCroix said.

Leonard said the food service program has generated approximately $44,689 in revenue while expenses have totaled approximately $166,259. She said the expenses include rising food costs and unpaid lunch balances.

LaCroix said district leaders had hoped increased a la carte participation would help offset more of the costs and move the program closer to breaking even.

“You don’t want to make money out of the lunch program, but you don’t want to be in the hole with it either,” LaCroix said.

Several staple ingredients increased sharply during the school year, according to Leonard. Dinner rolls rose from $21.58 to $36.45 per case, while mayonnaise used for ranch dressing increased from $71.10 to $83.35. Salad prices climbed from $35.07 to $57.28 before the district switched to a less expensive product, which costs $48.48 per case. 

The district uses about three cases of salad each week.

District Business Manager Angela Holliday said during a May 1 board meeting that the district transferred approximately $65,000 into the food service account this year to cover wages and supplies at NMS and NHS. The district’s a la carte program also generated roughly $2,700 in profit this year, she said.

Those numbers cover the time period of July 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, Holliday told the NLJ, and the money the district transferred into the account is on top of the amount the district budgeted.

According to Holliday, the district allocated $200,000 of its $455,000 food service budget for the 2025-26 school year to the middle school and high school program.

The profit the a la carte program generated is the difference between the cost and what was sold, and those dollars offset the costs of the middle school and high school lunch program, according to Holliday.

“The past few years, even with the USDA program, the general fund had to offset costs,” she said.

In 2024, she told the NLJ that the food service program’s fund typically needed about $25,000 to $35,000 from the general fund to balance.

Leonard said the transition year has also included operational challenges as staff members learned new responsibilities and adapted to supply shortages.

“We have had a few issues with not receiving some of the products that we ordered, or our vegetables not being the best, but we have improvised and made it work,” she said.

Leonard praised cafeteria staff members, substitutes and school administrators for helping keep the program running smoothly. Building principals have occasionally stepped in to serve lunch, she said.

“We work as a team here and that part has run smoothly,” Leonard said.

Leonard said she hopes to continue expanding and improving the program next year. Possible changes include opening a la carte five days per week, increasing grab-and-go options and adding more homemade meals with donated beef and pork.

“I want the kids to walk away full and satisfied while meeting their nutritional needs,” she said.

As for the lack of change in the number of students who leave campus for lunch, Leonard said she believes changing those habits will take time. She said she has not heard from students why they do not eat at school. 

LaCroix said open-campus policies give high school students more choices during lunch periods, which can make participation harder to increase.

“It’s a freedom thing,” he said.

District officials have previously said Newcastle Elementary could eventually leave the federal lunch program if the middle school and high school model proves sustainable. Leonard said it is still too early to know whether that will be financially possible.

LaCroix said the district would likely need the secondary program to move closer to breaking even before expanding the model to the elementary school.

“I believe that it is going to take time to build the lunch program up, and I think we are going in the right direction,” Leonard said.

Fitzwater said the board could continue evaluating expansion depending on future finances and federal requirements. He said the program wouldn’t be possible without the community’s generosity.

Inside the lunchroom

By the numbers

According to Tracy Leonard, Weston County School District No. 1’s food service director,

• 160 to 200 students line up for hot lunch daily

• WCSD uses about 150 to 200 pounds of donated beef a week

• 50 to 75 middle school students buy a la carte items daily

By the menu

Simple meals have often been the most successful this year at Newcastle Middle School and Newcastle High School, according to Tracy Leonard, Weston County School District No. 1’s food service director.

Student favorites include:

• Walking tacos

• Cheeseburgers

• Pizza

• Chicken Bowls

• Spaghetti

The district also offers a la carte foods, such as popcorn chicken, corn dogs, snacks and drinks, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Leonard said she hopes to expand a la carte in the 2026-27 school year.

Not on the menu

Student feedback helps shape lunch menus at Newcastle Middle School and Newcastle High School, according to Tracy Leonard, Weston County School District No. 1’s food service director.

Students regularly email suggestions or speak directly with cafeteria staff during lunch periods, Leonard said.

One request stood out: lobster.

“Unfortunately, we could not provide that for them this year,” she told the News Letter Journal.

Less waste, more choices

Food Service Director Tracy Leonard said Weston County School District No. 1 has reduced food waste this year after middle and high school students left the federal lunch program.

Instead of taking unwanted items, students now choose what they will eat. Reusable food is cooled and frozen for later meals, while other leftovers are offered as seconds.

The district plans to expand the program next year with daily a la carte service, more grab-and-go options and additional homemade meals using donated beef and pork.