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District staff propose modest school-lunch price increases to cover rising food and labor costs
Summary
Food-service staff proposed a 30¢ increase for elementary lunches and a 5¢ increase for other buildings, said the premium meal will become the single offered student lunch and milk prices will rise to 65¢ under state rules; staff said the district spent about $50,000 feeding unreimbursed high-school students last year.
Food-service staff proposed modest price increases for school meals and answered questions from board members about participation, reimbursement and unpaid balances.
Nicole Plow, a food-service representative, told the board the district is proposing a 30¢ increase for elementary lunches and a 5¢ increase for lunches at the intermediate, middle and high schools. “What we’re proposing tonight is raising the elementary at 30¢ and the rest of the district at a nickel,” Plow said, adding that the change is intended to maintain the food-service fund balance amid rising food and labor prices.
Plow and district staff clarified how meal tiers will be consolidated. Staff said the district will eliminate a lower-quality “regular” lunch option that saw very low participation and will offer the higher-quality premium tier as the single student lunch in elementary and the other buildings. Under the proposed price structure staff cited in the meeting, elementary lunches would move to $3.30; the premium tier at middle and high school would rise from $3.25 to $3.30 (a 5¢ increase). High-school breakfast would move from $1.85 to $2.00.
District staff also noted milk pricing set by the Commonwealth will move from $0.50 to $0.65 this school year. Staff said the district spent roughly $50,000 in the prior year feeding students at the high school where there is no federal reimbursement for some meals, which they cited as a rationale for revenue increases.
Board members asked for clarification about the pricing tables in the agenda and the difference between the old “regular” meal, the premium tier and the consolidated single meal. Staff responded that the “regular” option was rarely purchased and that the premium tier is functionally what has been provided and purchased in recent years. A board member asked whether unpaid student meal debt remains a problem; staff said some debt persists but that very large balances are rare and that staff plan to streamline parent communications and offer options for donations or transfers of account balances through ParentSquare and direct contact.
The proposal was presented for board consideration; the transcript does not record a formal board vote on the price changes at this meeting.
If the board advances the proposal, staff said they will incorporate the pricing into the 2025–26 budget and communications to families explaining the changes, reimbursement eligibility and available supports for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Breakfast remains free for all K–8 students under the Commonwealth program referenced by staff.
