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Board discusses proposed meal fee changes, including 35¢→50¢ milk increase; action tabled
Summary
Administrators proposed raising the milk carton price from $0.35 to $0.50 to align with rising costs and a state requirement tied to the Wisconsin School Day program; trustees flagged concerns about food quality and vendor performance and tabled the item for a future meeting.
The New London School District board reviewed draft student fee recommendations May 7 that include increasing the price of a milk carton from $0.35 to $0.50 and adjusting other meal charges to keep the food service program self‑supporting.
Finance/food service staff explained the recommendation is partly driven by a state change in administering the Wisconsin School Day/MELP program: if a district does not collect sufficient revenue from participating students, the state may require transfers from the general fund to cover the difference. Staff said milk costs have risen and a 50¢ price better reflects operating costs for the program.
A trustee raised a concern after attending a family breakfast that much of the served food had been discarded; other trustees asked staff to review the food service provider and the district's RFP process. One trustee noted that, across neighboring districts, New London’s meal prices are generally low but that failing to keep pace with inflation can deplete the food service fund balance and trigger larger increases later.
The chair said the discussion tonight was informational and that the board would revisit fee approvals at a future meeting; the board did not take formal action on the fee schedule at this session.
Administrators said they would return with additional information, including vendor performance and a potential timeline for any formal fee adoption.
