Lee's Summit schools propose 10¢ meal price increase as nutrition fund runs a deficit

Lee's Summit School District staff recommended a 10¢ increase in paid meal prices for the coming year and formation of a stakeholder review team after nutrition services finished fiscal 2025 with a large fund drawdown.

Miss Danella, the district presenter on nutrition services, told the instruction meeting on July 28 that rising food, supply and operational costs and uncertain federal and state reimbursements left the department “struggling.” “We are recommending a 10¢ increase this year,” she said, proposing prices of $2.00 for elementary breakfast, $2.10 secondary breakfast, $3.10 elementary lunch and $3.30 secondary lunch for full-paid students.

The recommendation accompanies a plan to form a PRAT (pricing review and analysis team). Danella said a charter will be developed, reviewed by the superintendent’s leadership team and the PRAT will conduct work this fall; findings would be returned to leadership and likely communicated to the board. When asked, Danella said the PRAT would include district staff, parents and could include a board member or two; the team will also consult neighboring districts and outside resources.

Treasurer Dr. Herzog reviewed the district's year-end fund balances and said the nutrition services fund dropped by more than $1 million from FY24 to FY25. He and Danella both said the PRAT and meal-price changes are only part of the solution: “Mill prices are part of the solution. They will not be the solution,” Dr. Herzog said, noting that even the maximum allowable price increase would not cover the entire gap and that expense reductions are also needed.

Board members asked operational questions: who approves the PRAT charter (Danella said the superintendent’s leadership team), whether the PRAT would include external district representatives (Danella said the team will pull comparative data from neighboring districts and could invite outside participants), and how the district's prices compare to others (Danella said many districts are in the same position and that she expects a comparative chart within about 30 days after neighboring boards finalize approvals).

No formal motion or board vote was recorded in the instruction meeting transcript. The pricing recommendation appears on the consent agenda for the board's regular meeting later in the week, meaning the item may be presented without discussion at that meeting.

If adopted, the district said the PRAT's findings and any subsequent pricing changes or expense reductions would be reported back to the superintendent's leadership team and likely presented to the full board.