PfISD uses MySchoolBucks as its payment processing system for school lunches. This is a preferred system used by many school districts in our area, and is one of the largest providers of this type of payment system.

Any parent or guardian can place funds on their child's account via MySchoolBucks. The $3.25 surcharge by the vendor is per transaction, whether you put $5 on a student's account or a maximum of $250. We have tried negotiating surcharges for MySchoolBucks in the past but have yet to be able to reduce their fees.

To enroll in My SchoolBucks and pay for lunch meals online: 

1. Go to www.MySchoolBucks.com and register for a free account.
2. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to activate your account.
3. Add your students using their school name and student ID (Just the number, no "s" needed before the numbers).
4. Make a payment to your student's accounts with your credit/debit card (there is a $3.25 charge per transaction) or echeck ($2.75 surcharge).

A program fee may apply. You will have the opportunity to review any fees and cancel if you choose before you are charged. 

If you have any questions, contact MySchoolBucks directly:

• parentsupport@myschoolbucks.com
• 1-855-832-5226
• Visit myschoolbucks.com and click on Help/FAQ's

Parents can also pay for their child's lunches via check or cash. Checks can be made out to Pflugerville ISD. Payment can be sent with a student to give to cafeteria workers, parents may bring the deposit to the school cafeteria, or they can deliver it to the Aramark office (Pflugerville ISD Food and Child Nutrition Services Office, 1202 Picadilly, Pflugerville, TX 78660)

STUDENTS & HOUSEHOLDS CAN CHECK THEIR BALANCES BY CREATING A MYSCHOOLBUCKS ACCOUNT AND UTILIZING THE MYSCHOOLBUCKS APPLICATION SITE WITHOUT DEPOSITING FUNDS OR INCURRING FEES!

Limiting A La Carte items
Parents have always had the ability to limit their child's account and choices. There are instructions on the district's website under Food Services, or you can complete this form and email it to denise.meserole@pfisd.net 

A La Carte Item Prices
Regarding the pricing of a la carte items, PfISD prices are already significantly lower in comparison to a local drive-thru coffee shop; PfISD found the following-

• PfISD Otis Spunkmeyer muffins ($1.75) vs. coffee shop "muffin top" ($4.55)
• PfISD 12 oz coffee (when sold) ($1.95) vs. coffee shop ($3.10)
• PfISD 12 oz latte (when sold) ($3.25) vs. coffee shop ($5.45)
• PfISD Large cookie ($1.50) vs. coffee shop ($3.95)
• *To note- USDA requires specific sizes and nutrients deemed healthy via SMART SNACK initiatives.

Fall 2024 (25SY) Parent Information ENG

Fall 2024 (25SY) Parent Information SPANISH

Fall 2024 (25SY) Aramark Menu Innovation ENG

Fall 2024 (25SY) Aramark Menu Innovation SPANISH

• Food and Child Nutrition has recently moved offices.

  Our new address: 

  1101 Picadilly Dr, Building 9,

  Pflugerville, TX 78660.

As we shared with Staff and Families in the past few weeks, due to a large balance of unpaid lunch charges owed to PfISD (more than $180,000 at this time), PfISD has reinstituted a pre-COVID policy of substituting the main entrée for those students who currently owe more than $7 (-$7) on their lunch account. We have received several questions and seen social media content raising questions about the policy, and we wanted to share more information with our staff and parents. 

We know that good nutrition is a cornerstone of a student's well-being, and although the entrée is substituted for a sandwich, the students are allowed to keep all sides included with the regular lunch meal. District and Aramark staff have reached out to families to attempt to set up a payment plan and have the families complete the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Application, which would reduce or eliminate the cost for these students to eat lunch. We will continue these efforts.

We have a balance deficit of over $180,000 due to unpaid lunches –ten times the previous norm. The district was fortunate enough to leverage federal funding and offer several years of free lunch options for students due to Covid. Unfortunately, those federal funds have decreased or ended. We began informing families last summer that the free lunches were no longer available for students for the 23-24 school year. Pflugerville ISD has been lucky to be one of the few districts still offering free breakfast to all students. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees school lunches, school districts must pay for any outstanding school lunch balances from their general fund at the end of the school year. We must redirect funds away from students' programs and teachers' resources to meet this federal payment requirement. In Pre-Covid years, the district could expect to see a negative lunch balance of $16,000 - $18,000 at the end of the year. This year, we increased our budget for unpaid meal accounts to $30,000K in anticipation of growing needs within our district. Additionally, PfISD has not raised meal prices in 5 years. Since 2011, the USDA has mandated price increases for school lunches; however, districts with positive fund balances can opt out and NOT increase the price of school lunches, which PfISD has done.

• Aramark purchases all the food and staffs the labor at their cost. 
• Aramark can only take annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) for each annual renewal of a five-year contract. In the last three years, the timing and the rate of CPI versus actual inflation have not been equivalent. CPI has not kept up with the cost of food/ inflation.
• If food cost or labor wage leveling occurs, Aramark incurs that, not PfISD.
• Aramark absorbs the cost of a replaced meal. A replaced entrée is the price of two entrees (the discarded one and the sandwich). The district does not incur this cost.

Food service funds can only be spent on food service-related items. Costs can include the percentage of square feet of a campus used for food services (kitchen, servery, dining room) applied to utilities; cafeteria FFE including tables; and kitchen equipment. 

The items on the board agenda reflect food service items needed to sustain the program. Many items are original pieces of equipment at respective schools for which the district and Aramark are diligent in maintaining. They are replaced as they are obsolete, have obsolete or costly parts, or are a safety concern. Without a food service fund, these would be paid for by general fund.

How to Read a Julian product code (Juice Boxes)?

Some of the products serving in Pflugerville ISD cafeteria's (i.e juice cartons) have codes that coordinate with manufacturing houses and dates.  These codes, called "Julian Codes" can be helpful, but can also cause confusion.  We have included information below to assist in utilizing these product Julian Codes in the link below.

Reading product with a Julian Code

The coding format used is determined by the product and package type. Our refrigerated portion juice is coded with a "best by" date (i.e. Dec. 31 2009 E). This date represents the date that the product should be consumed. The alpha or numeric character following the date represents the manufacturing plant location and stock information.

PfISD's frozen portion juice uses a Julian Code (N2659A1). A Julian Code is used on frozen products because we do not know the date that the product will be thawed by the customer; this date code will inform the customer of the date the product was manufactured. See below, to learn how to read a Julian Code. 

Example production code: E 2769D2 20:59 L2

1. E - Plant Designation
   1. D = DeLand, FL
   2. E = Ellington, CT
   3. N = Akron, OH
   4. H = Houston, TX
2. 276 - Julian calendar date (manufactor date), Oct. 3
3. 9 - Year (last digit), 2019
4. D2 - Filler code and shift #
5. 20:59 - Time of Production
6. L2 - Coder line number

Julian Date Calendar

Lot Codes and Expiration Dates

On most food packaging, there are several codes, numbers and dates stamped on them. This information is not only helpful but also helps us keep track of when food is safe to consume and when it’s expired.

Below is some key information that should help clarify what this all means.

Know Your Numbers

Most food companies stamp lot codes and/or expiration dates on products. There are two types of codes:

1. Expiration Dates: These dates let food handlers and consumers know when food is either no longer safe or less than satisfactory to consume. Example: MAR 24 2021
2. Lot Codes: Food manufacturers produce food in batches. Each batch is assigned unique codes allowing manufacturers to track when problems occur and/or if foods need to be recalled. Lot codes are usually a combination of letters and numbers. Example: KBA 0251 12:55

Shelf-Life Glossary

There is little government regulation of expiration dates stamped on packages. Therefore, we can’t quite treat expiration dates or lot codes with a "one-size fits all" approach.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) there are a few different types of dates to look for:

• Sell By Date: How long sellers can display food before quality diminishes. An item may be edible for days after "Sell By" dates though is no longer the highest possible quality.
• Best if Used By/Best Before Date: A guide to the quality or flavor profile of the food and does not refer to safety. For example, certain foods may be unpleasant to eat but may remain safe to consume even past the point of peak freshness such as overripened fruit.
• Use By Date: Consuming food after this date is not recommended by the manufacturer. Using food past it’s "use by" date may allow for harmful bacteria to grow and food quality to diminish.