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Robbinsdale board OKs 2025-26 second-meal price increase; officials cite USDA minimums, meal debt concerns
Summary
The Robbinsdale Area School Board approved a price increase for second meals for the 2025–26 school year, citing USDA minimum pricing guidance and ongoing concerns about accumulated meal debt. The vote was unanimous.
The Robbinsdale Area School Board on Aug. 4 approved an increase to the price charged for students' second meals for the 2025–26 school year, a change school officials said is required to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture minimum pricing and to help address long-standing meal-account deficits.
Chief Financial Officer Hoheisel told the board the proposal applies only to second meals and that the state continues to fund free breakfasts and lunches for eligible students. "What we do need to follow is the minimum USDA price," Hoheisel said, adding that the district used USDA 2024–25 pricing as its baseline: "$2.40 for a breakfast and $5.00 for a lunch." He said the district uses that pricing because USDA guidance is the controlling minimum for reimbursable meals.
Board members said the rise in second-meal prices is not a new practice but prompted questions about how existing meal-account deficits accumulated. Directors discussed earlier estimates of the district's unpaid meal balances; participants mentioned figures as high as about $600,000 and as low as roughly $300,000 during the discussion, and board members said they did not have a definitive number in the meeting record.
Why it matters: Board members said the district does not receive federal reimbursement for second meals and that charging for those a la carte items has been standard practice in recent years. Hoheisel said the proposed pricing aligns the district with USDA minimums and with state reporting requirements.
Details of the vote and motion: Director Bassett moved the proposal; Director Holmes seconded. The board took a roll-call vote because the item affects district funds. Directors Bassett, Bowman, Chair Evans Becker, Hillenbrand, Holmes, Long and Wutto all voted yes; the motion carried unanimously.
Discussion highlights and clarifications: Director Long asked whether second-meal charges had contributed materially to the meal-account deficit. Hoheisel said staff and administrators have changed some practices for adult/staff meal purchases and acknowledged ongoing negative balances for some staff and student accounts. Board members said progress had been made to reduce the deficit but that the exact balance was not clarified during the meeting.
What comes next: The pricing change will apply for the 2025–26 school year. No further action on this specific pricing item was recorded at the meeting.
