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Board approves 25¢ meal price increase to support food‑service wages
Summary
The Queen Anne's County Board of Education approved a $0.25 increase to student meal prices and a $0.05 increase for milk for 2026–27; administration said proceeds will help raise hourly food‑service wages and cover rising food/operational costs.
The Queen Anne's County Board of Education voted on June 3 to raise school meal prices by $0.25 per meal and increase the price of a carton of milk by $0.05 for the 2026–27 school year. Julie Hickey, the district’s food‑services coordinator, told the board the proposal reflects rising food and operational costs and supports a planned hourly wage increase for food‑service staff.
Under the approved rates, breakfast would cost $2.00 across grade levels; elementary lunch would be $3.00; middle and high school lunches $3.25; staff lunches $4.50; milk would rise to $0.60 per carton. Hickey said meal prices had remained unchanged since fiscal 2024–25, when the board approved a 15¢ increase, and that the proposed change follows a historical pattern of increases roughly every two years.
Board members discussed outstanding meal debt (Hickey reported about $3,200 outstanding as of the morning of June 3 across all schools), donations received to offset debt and potential mechanisms to accept contributions. Trustees asked that the district explore easier public donation paths; administration said the Queen Anne's County Education Partnership could be used to facilitate designated gifts.
The board approved the price changes by voice vote. Administrators said they will update point‑of‑sale systems and notify families ahead of the new school year.
