Bill > HB2520

This bill modifies the recommended guidelines for staffing school cafeteria cooks by changing the existing optional guidelines to mandatory requirements and adjusting the recommended number of cooks based on meal volume. Specifically, the bill increases the meal thresholds for adding additional cooks and changes the average number of meals served per cook's hours worked from 12.00 to 14.67. The bill transforms the previous guidelines from optional to mandatory, requiring county school boards to follow these staffing ratios. For example, where previously 1-90 meals would require one cook, the new guideline covers 1-110 meals with one cook. The bill also clarifies that a school lunch is considered a whole meal, while other meals are counted as three-quarters of a school lunch meal. Importantly, the legislation includes a provision that beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, there will be a minimum ratio of one cook for every 110 meals prepared and served, which aims to standardize kitchen staffing across school districts and potentially improve efficiency in school food service operations.