Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Meals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves quarter-per-meal price hike after debate over student meal debt and food-service losses
Summary
After discussion about rising food and labor costs and accumulated unpaid meal debt, the Prince George County School Board voted to raise paid meal prices by $0.25 across elementary and secondary breakfast and lunch starting before the first day of school.
The Prince George County School Board on July 15 voted to increase paid school meal prices by $0.25 for breakfast and lunch, a measure the division’s food-services director said is needed to help the program keep up with rising costs.
Food-services staff presented the financial case: national and contract food costs have risen 30%–40% and the department ran a significant deficit in the previous year. The division also reported about $59,000 in student meal debt for the most recent year; federal USDA program rules now prevent denying meals or pursuing collections for families for meal debt in most cases, staff said.
“We are proposing a quarter increase per meal across the board,” Patrick Barnes said during the meeting, citing inflation in food and labor costs and the need to reduce program losses while maintaining compliance with federal rules.
Board members asked whether the increase is intended to pay off outstanding student meal debt; staff responded that the price increase is meant to stabilize recurring revenues and cover ongoing inflationary costs, not to erase prior year debt that was paid from general funds. Staff also reviewed alternative options, including Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) participation in qualifying schools (which can provide free meals at school level) and smaller phased increases (the USDA requires a minimum 10¢ increase in some calculations).
A motion to approve the prices was made and seconded. Roll call recorded Mr. Johnson voting “No” and the remaining members present voting “Yes,” so the motion carried. Staff acknowledged an administrative error that briefly posted the new prices on the district website before board approval; the posted information was corrected pending the board’s decision.
The board asked staff to return in August if members wanted to revisit the rates with additional breakdowns of projected revenue and program impact. Implementation: staff said menus and printed materials must be updated immediately to reflect the new prices in time for the first day of school; some printing has already been started and timelines were noted as a reason for conducting the vote at the July meeting.
Outcome: the board approved the increase on the record; staff will implement the new paid meal price schedule and report back to the board with updated financials when available.
Vote: Recorded roll call in the meeting transcript shows Mr. Johnson voting No and other named members present voting Yes.
