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School board leaves student meal prices unchanged; district will subsidize food service from general fund
Summary
Trustees approved keeping 2025–26 breakfast and lunch prices the same and confirmed a $275,000 annual transfer from the general fund to cover food service costs not recovered by meal charges.
The Sheridan County School District #2 Board of Trustees voted May 12 to keep student meal prices unchanged for the 2025–26 school year and to continue a budgeted general‑fund transfer to support the food service program.
District staff recommended no change after reviewing national and state market outlooks and local comparisons. The presentation showed Sheridan's elementary meal price is roughly on par with state averages while junior‑high and high‑school lunch prices are modestly higher; overall the district's average per‑meal charge is about 14 cents above the state average.
A staff member who presented the item said operational costs remain higher than the charged price when labor is included. "For breakfast, generally it costs us about a dollar 80 to prepare a meal," the food‑service presenter said. "For lunch, usually, it's about $3 to $4 for an average meal." The board approved continuing a general‑fund transfer of $275,000 a year to the food service department to cover the program shortfall. Trustees said they will review pricing annually.
Trustees approved the recommendation; no price increases were adopted. Board members noted the district does not fully recover labor costs through paid student meals and that continued state or federal funding or adjustments to pricing would be tracked annually.
