Case Study: Culver City Unified School District goes cashless and streamlines meal applications with LINQ Connect

How K-12 districts can go cashless using a flexible payment solution and a creative solution for accommodating students carrying cash

Culver City Unified School District was facing inefficiencies caused by cash transactions and paper-based systems. Their challenges included slow cafeteria lines due to handling cash, a difficult process for families to submit free and reduced-price meal applications, and unreliable email communication. They turned to their vendor, LINQ, and utilized the LINQ Connect service within LINQ Nutrition to address these issues.

The solution from LINQ provided a flexible, cashless payment system. LINQ Connect allowed students to deposit cash at a dedicated window to fund digital meal accounts, eliminating cash at the register. The platform also enabled digital meal applications and provided a direct communication channel to families through its app. As a result, the district achieved its goal of going 100% cashless, which made lines move faster and saved staff hours each week previously spent counting cash and making bank deposits. LINQ's tools also made the application process easier for families and improved overall communication.

Culver City Unified School District

Julie Garcia

Director of Food Services