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Regional School District 12 board approves lunch price increase to meet federal guidance
Summary
The school board voted to raise lunch prices to address a growing cafeteria deficit and comply with federal paid‑lunch‑equity guidance. The board approved increasing high‑school lunch to $4.25 and elementary lunch to $3.75; no detailed roll‑call was recorded.
The Regional School District 12 board voted to raise student lunch prices on a motion to comply with federal paid‑lunch‑equity guidance and to reduce a growing cafeteria deficit.
At the meeting, Nicole, a district staff member responsible for nutrition operations, told the board that lunch prices have not increased since June 2022 and the district is running a growing deficit. "Currently lunch at the high school is $3.75 and lunch at the elementary schools is $3.50," she said, and recommended "we need to charge $4.25 at the high school and $3.75 at the elementary school" to move the district toward the federal guidance target (the staff presentation cited an average target of about $4.16 and noted federal reimbursement for a free meal is about $4.20).
Board members discussed alternatives, including the option for the board to subsidize the lunch program rather than raise prices. Nicole said the district has historically covered deficits at year end and that the district has in prior years provided $10,000–$20,000 annually to the lunch vendor to support local purchasing; she said that practice would continue if the board chose to subsidize rather than increase prices. Board members also discussed participation during the COVID period when meals were free and the district's efforts to expand warm‑meal service to elementary schools next year to boost participation.
After discussion, the chair called for a motion "to consider for approval the price increase for school lunches as required by the guidance from the National School Lunch Program." The motion received a second, members voted with no recorded opposition on the transcript, and the chair announced the motion passed.
The meeting transcript does not record a roll‑call tally or the names of the motion maker and seconder. The district will implement the new prices in accordance with National School Lunch Program requirements and local scheduling; no effective date was specified in the record.
