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Board reviews proposed 25-cent lunch price increase, summer meal plans and pre-K registration numbers
Summary
Support services staff told the board that pre-K registration has 237 of 280 slots filled, all school cafeterias passed health inspections, and a proposed 25¢ lunch-price increase will be considered April 17; summer meal pickup plans and a $25,000 CareSource donation for telehealth were also announced.
Harris County — At the April 10 committee meeting, the Harris County Board of Education heard a support-services report showing prekindergarten sign-ups, cafeteria inspection results and a proposed modest increase in student lunch prices that the board will vote on at its April 17 regular meeting.
Miss Baker, the district’s support-services lead who presented the update, said 237 of the district’s 280 pre-K slots were filled at the time of the meeting, leaving 53 vacancies ahead of late registration on April 21. Baker told the board the district expects additional enrollments during late registration and that, with current numbers, class sizes will run about 13 to 15 students despite a 20-student limit.
Baker also reported that all seven district cafeterias received 100% on recent health inspections and praised school nutrition staff for their work.
On lunch pricing, Baker explained the district delayed a price change recommended after an administrative review. The current committee packet proposes a 25-cent increase per lunch category, effective July 1, 2025; the board’s agenda places the proposed increase (Agenda H11) for formal approval at the April 17 meeting. Baker said students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals would not lose eligibility and that the modest increase is intended to help cover rising food costs and to support the school nutrition program.
Board members asked whether a price rise might reduce participation; Baker said she did not expect participation to fall significantly because many students who eat school lunches already qualify for free or reduced-price meals and the program remains competitively priced compared with retail meals.
Baker also told the board the district plans to provide weekday meal pick-ups in June (June 2–30) with Monday pickups for the week, similar to prior summer feeding operations, and will finalize service locations after state guidance is confirmed.
Superintendent Doug Finney later announced a $25,000 donation from CareSource to support telehealth services in the district; Finney attributed the donation to relationships built by the support-services team and asked Baker’s staff to accept the gift.
The committee did not vote on the meal-price recommendation; it is scheduled for the full board’s April 17 meeting.
