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Indianola board approves 2025–26 meal prices and a pilot for free breakfast
Summary
The board approved small price increases for school meals for 2025–26 and authorized a pilot to offer free breakfast to all students next year, with staff estimating an offset cost of about $78,000.
The Indianola Community School District board approved the district’s 2025–26 meal prices, including a modest increase—generally 10 cents—across most options, and authorized a pilot program to provide free breakfast for all students for the coming school year.
District staff told the board the price increases are intended to keep the district close to state reimbursable rates and to avoid audit citations that result from the program holding excess funds without appropriate uses. Staff estimated the pilot would reduce meal revenue by about $78,000, while the district would continue to receive federal reimbursement for free and reduced-price meals. The board instructed administration to reevaluate the program’s finances in March of the school year to determine whether the pilot could continue.
Board members asked whether offering free breakfast would fully address the district’s concern about excess funds or whether changes to lunch pricing would be more effective; administration replied that lunch has a larger participation rate and would have a larger fiscal impact, but the district lacked funds to subsidize universal free lunch at this time. The board voted to approve the meal prices and the free-breakfast pilot.
The motion to approve the 2025–26 meal prices and the pilot was made by Sue Wilson, seconded by Eric Christensen; the motion carried unanimously.
