Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Meals Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District proposes 25‑cent meal-price increase and menu changes to shore up food‑service budget
Summary
District operations staff proposed a 25¢ increase to student breakfasts and lunches and a series of operational and menu changes to address a projected food‑service shortfall; board discussed but took no action at the meeting.
Derby Public Schools operations staff proposed raising student breakfast and lunch prices by 25 cents and testing an a‑la‑carte system as part of a broader plan to stabilize the food‑service fund.
Burke Jones, director of operations, told the board the proposed 25¢ per‑meal increase would generate roughly $80,000 if participation remains steady. Jones said the district has identified about $360,000 of additional revenue or cost savings spread across this year and the next, but the meal‑price change is one immediate action to reduce an estimated shortfall in food‑service operations.
Staff outlined additional options: selling juice and bottled water in the lunch line (separate charge for a la carte purchases), testing a la‑carte sales for nine weeks, switching some elementary schools from hot to cold breakfasts to reduce labor and food costs, and tightening class lunch counts to reduce waste. Jones said participation in district meals remains higher than neighboring districts, limiting revenue gains from participation increases.
Martha, the district’s food‑service manager, and Jones said the district will pilot changes and provide advance communication to families. They described operational constraints in forecasting quantities — cooks must prepare items in advance — and said improved counts and monthly audits would be used to reduce overproduction.
Board members asked about parent tools to provide better advance counts and about equity for free‑and‑reduced students, who receive meals without charge but would pay for new a‑la‑carte or juice items if purchased separately. No formal board action was taken; staff will return with implementation details and pilot results.
