Lowndes Board of Education updates nutrition and upcoming school materials

Published 2:07 pm Wednesday, July 9, 2025

VALDOSTA — The Lowndes County Board of Education met Tuesday evening for a brief work session that spotlighted efforts to improve student nutrition services and prepare teachers and students with updated instructional materials.

Donna Hendley, the Director of School Nutrition for Lowndes County Schools, began with a series of nutrition-related agenda items, including bids for services, commodity processing, groceries, and contract renewals with nearly 20 vendors. In the discussion, board member Fred Wetherington highlighted Hendley’s leadership in securing competitive pricing for Lowndes and over 60 other school systems across Georgia who “piggyback” off Lowndes’ bids.

The district’s nutrition program will also transition to PrimeroEdge, a modern, cloud-based software that replaces the long-standing Café Enterprise system. The upgrade, costing $120 more per year, will improve food service operations across all schools, including inventory, ordering, and menu planning.

Superintendent Sandra Wilcher emphasized that the new system will be especially useful during weather-related emergencies. In the past, hurricanes and power outages forced schools to shut down lunchroom systems for weeks at a time. With PrimeroEdge, portable devices can be quickly activated to keep food service running without disruptions.

Following the nutrition discussion, Assistant Superintendent LeAnne McCall presented a detailed overview of the district’s instructional resource planning for the new school year. The board reviewed updates to curriculum, testing, and classroom technology purchases. McCall discussed the system’s excitement over new student workbooks for math instruction across K–5 grade levels. Teachers from across the system collaborated on the math workbooks, resulting in consumable student materials aimed at easing the burden on teachers and improving learning access at home.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for July 21.