POLAND — Regional School Unit 16’s meals program is undergoing a complete review, School Committee members were told Monday.

John Hawley, district facilities manager, said he contacted state officials for assistance is streamlining the program. It offers free breakfasts at Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls, Poland Community School and Whittier Middle School, both in Poland. Whittier students also are served a free lunch.

In December, Superintendent Tina Meserve informed the board that the district’s food service program was losing money primarily because it was participating in the federally-sponsored universal free lunch program.

Meserve said the schools meet the criteria for participating in the program, with slightly over 40 percent of students qualifying for free and reduced-price meals, but it appears the percentage would have to be much higher in order to receive sufficient subsidy to cover costs.

Meserve estimated the district would need to have closer to 80 percent of its students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch in order for the program to be solvent.

School Committee member Steve Holbrook asked why the district got into the program in the first place.

“The reality is we didn’t have enough information when the program was instituted,” Meserve said.

Meserve said she favored the intent of the free meals program, noting that the impression is it is difficult for a child to learn if the child is hungry.

According to its annual audit, which the board received earlier in the evening, the district’s food service program was about $90,000 in debt as of June 30, 2015, and about $28,000 of that was incurred during the past school year.

The auditor, Christian Smith of Macpage auditing firm, noted in his report that it is not unusual for school lunch programs to run a deficit.

According to the audit report, the district’s total fund balance for the year ending June 30, 2015, stood at about $973,000.

In other matters, Meserve reported that she and several other school officials and board members met recently with Poland selectmen to determine what the district should be paying the town for using the third bay at the Public Works garage.

The district is paying the town about $13,000 or $14,000 a year as its share of the bond for the garage and another $9,600 in rent for the third bay.

Meserve said she and Business Manager Staci Field are working with town officials to determine exactly how much the school should be paying as its share of the building’s operating costs.

Meserve also noted that the district is holding a Tri-Town Mental Health Forum at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, in the Poland Regional High School cafeteria.

She said 77 invitations have been sent to community leaders and service providers: selectmen, town managers, police and emergency personnel, and school officials.

“Our hope is that this dialogue will lead to a better understanding of the varied needs we all experience so each of us is better informed to respond in our respective roles,” Meserve said in a prepared statement.