District proposes 25¢ meal-price increase and operational changes to stabilize food-services budget

Food-service leaders presented a package of revenue and cost-saving proposals May 27 to restore the school nutrition fund to fiscal health without cutting meal quality. The proposed steps include raising breakfast and lunch prices by 25 cents across elementary, middle and high school lines; expanding a la carte sales (testing an a la carte pilot for nine weeks); resuming sales of bottled juice in secondary lunch lines; reviewing labor and menu choices such as returning some elementary sites from hot to cold breakfast where participation is low; and tightening meal-count accuracy at schools.

District staff reported a $577,000 improvement in revenue and reduced costs through April but said the program still needs additional measures to be sustainable after recent increases in food and labor costs and following the districtwide salary increases. A 25-cent-per-meal increase, if participation holds steady, would bring about $80,000 in annual revenue.

Administrators discussed operational approaches to reduce waste and align production with accurate school counts. They described audit steps to reconcile daily production with classroom orders and asked for stronger school-side procedures so cooks do not prepare large overages. Staff noted that the Central Kitchen begins prep early each morning (around 5 a.m.) and that some items are not easily produced on demand; more accurate advance counts would reduce waste and cost.

Board members asked about parent-facing communications, pilot timing and safeguards for students who receive free or reduced-price meals; administrators said free/reduced students would not automatically receive a la carte items without charge and the district will communicate pricing and options to families. The proposal was discussed but not voted on; administrators will return with implementation details and pilot results for future action.