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District outlines small lunch and breakfast price increases, aims to stay under federal threshold
Summary
Nutrition services staff said the federal Paid Lunch Equity tool sets a target paid-lunch threshold of $3.71 for 2026–27; the district increased lunch prices by 10¢ and breakfast by 5¢ in each level and said Jefferson, Franklin and Kamiak provide free meals to all students.
Justin told the board that Section 205 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act requires districts to use the Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) tool to calculate paid-lunch price increases and that the tool determines the district’s 2026–27 weighted paid-lunch threshold at $3.71. "The tool determines that the new paid lunch price for us for 26-27 is $3.71. We're our goal is to stay underneath that," Justin said.
He described modest local adjustments for the coming year: a 10¢ increase for lunches and a 5¢ increase for breakfasts at elementary, middle and high schools. He noted there was no staff-lunch increase this year and reminded the board that Jefferson, Franklin and Kamiak provide universal free meals; the price changes primarily affect Sunnyside, the middle school and the high school. No formal budget vote on nutrition pricing occurred at this meeting; staff presented the rationale and will carry pricing forward in routine fiscal planning.
