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The food concerns at Socorro School District dominated last week’s board meeting.
Representatives from K12 by Elior gave a presentation and answered questions from the board about their menus, operations and plans to improve service.
Assistant superintendent Kim Sanchez introduced the team, which included Bonnie Hoke, controller; Raul Perez, school manager; Lori Crowson; and Arianna Bustos, local food service director.
The team acknowledged the complaints about food quality, presentation, portions and unappetizing photos posted on Facebook. They spoke to school nutrition requirements and reported that all menus are examined weekly by a registered dietitian to check for compliance.
Bustos said there are plans for a survey and a taste test event to gather feedback and improve the food program.
“We do have a team of chefs and dietitians ready to create new meals and create new recipes for us to use. And we would really like to dial it down to a local menu, rather than just using the same menu that everybody else has,” Bustos said, “We really want to make it more familiar for the kids, for what they want to eat and what they’re comfortable with.”
Sanchez confirmed they have a 30-day short-term, 60-day medium-term, and 90-day long-term set of action items they will focus on to improve the school food.
Sanchez reported to the board that the Thanksgiving meal, in which families joined their kids for a school meal, received a lot of criticism. She said there was also a Facebook post with a photo of chicken nuggets and a dinner roll, complaining that it was not a complete meal.
“That item did prompt a complaint at the New Mexico Public Education Department. There was an investigation in progress that is an opportunity for support for our district, and we’re expecting a report back on that.” Sanchez said, “And third, most recently, a Facebook post with a photo of an elementary school breakfast complaining that it was unappetizing. In addition to those, there’s been one school site-specific complaint.”
During public comment, three people shared concerns about the food service at the schools.
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Annabell Gonzales questioned whether the food was prepared on-site or microwaved, and she expressed concern about hot dogs being served for both breakfast and lunch. She recalled when they had on-site cooks at the schools, the students were excited about the food.
Victoria Ortiz said she has kids attending Parkview Elementary and the food quality was hit-and-miss.
“This morning for breakfast, they had Fruit Loops, graham crackers, a small apple and milk. Now you add that up, that was 38 grams of sugar. The American Academy of Pediatrics states no more than 25 grams of sugar a day. They could have drank coke. And I’ve talked to the teachers. By noon kids are crying, having breakdowns, they’re having a complete sugar crash,” Ortiz said, “And the part that bothers me the most is, I don’t know if some of you realize this, some of our kids only eat at school. I have witnessed kids eating three bowls of cereal for breakfast because they hadn’t eaten since the Thursday before. Cereal is not enough.”
Monica Mead said she has two grandchildren who attend the school, one of whom has sent her unappetizing pictures of the school food. Mead also asked why they don’t have lunch ladies anymore.
“There is a lot of children in this in this county alone, that only eat once a day when they’re in school, breakfast or whatever. They don’t have a parent that cooks for them, or they don’t have the money. There is a lot of low-income people here, and when you those low-income people have to go and spend $75 a week on food for their child out of their food stamps, then they run out of food into the end of the month and they have nothing.” Mead said.
After negative feedback about the school food last year, Socorro schools began the 2024-25 school year with a new breakfast and lunch provider, K12, by Elior.
A school committee made the recommendation using a rubric, and they determined that K12 by Elior had the highest score. The school board unanimously favored the recommendation.
Reorganization
In the appointment of the 2025 officers, Pauline Jaramillo was elected as board president in a split vote. Board members Tara Jaramillo, Kathleen Ocampo, and Pauline Jaramillo voted in favor, while Dave Hicks and Sharon Sessions voted against.
Hicks was nominated for Vice President and Ocampo for Secretary, but both declined the nomination. In unanimous votes, Tara Jaramillo was appointed as Vice President and Sessions as Secretary.
