Fresno Unified School District shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars for pizza last year.
Purchase orders approved by the Board of Education show that the district spent over $400,000 at Me-N-Ed’s in 2024, per a recent report.
The big picture: Fresno Unified, the region’s largest school district and third-largest in California, spent $402,977.39 at Me-N-Ed’s last year, according to a report from Nexstar.
- The Board of Education actually approved over $525,000 to be spent at the pizzeria, with the district actually coming in well under budget.
Zoom in: FUSD told Nexstar that the largest chunk of Me-N-Ed’s spending was $155,000 at over 100 school sites for student, family and staff incentives.
- Fresno Unified spent $30,000 to support extracurricular activities and $23,000 to cover meals and incentives for Local Control Accountability Plan meetings with students, families and staff.
- The district also spent $20,000 for after school programs, winter and summer camps and summer school, as well as another $17,000 through Associated Student Body funds.
- The remainder of the Me-N-Ed’s expenditures were for various other programs used to serve students, families and staff.
What they’re saying: “Food is often a key part of how we build community, celebrate achievements, and incentivize engagement among students, families, and staff,” a district spokesperson told Nexstar.
