Committee approves resolution requesting DOE report true cost of producing school meals

The House Committee on Education voted to pass SCR 134, which urges the Department of Education to provide the Legislature a detailed report on the true cost of producing school meals to promote transparency and help avoid unnecessary price increases.

Sue Kirchstein, acting administrator of the School Food Services branch at the Department of Education, told the committee the department stands on its written testimony. Committee supporters including the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Appleseed and Hawaii Children’s Action Network presented testimony in favor of the resolution.

During questioning, Kirchstein described how the department calculates per-meal cost: it accounts for food cost, wages and benefits, and other supplies and miscellaneous costs such as equipment and purchased services. Kirchstein said the department does not include transportation costs in that calculation. When asked for a current per-plate estimate provided at a recent Board of Education hearing, she said the department’s cost to produce breakfast is $5.80 and lunch is $8.66.

Committee members also discussed recent general fund requests presented to the department: the department said it sought two requests — one for $4,000,000 and an additional request for $20,000,000 — a combined $24,000,000 across two fiscal years to cover rising meal-related costs. DOE cited inflationary pressures on food and labor as primary contributors to increased costs.

The committee adopted the recommendation to pass SCR 134 unamended; the transcript records the recommendation was adopted and notes Representative Souza was excused. The transcript does not include a full roll-call list for this vote.