Wallingford board approves modest increases to school meal prices

The Wallingford Board of Education voted to raise meal prices for the 2026–27 school year, approving a 35¢ increase for student lunches, a 10¢ increase for breakfasts and an 85¢ increase for adult meals. The motion was made by Board member Craig and seconded by Raynus; the board carried the motion in a recorded voice vote.

The district’s new food service director (identified in the meeting as Hasley) told the board the changes respond to federal and state paid‑lunch‑equity guidance and rising costs. “We are proposing for this coming school year a 35¢ increase for lunch for the 26–27 school year. We’re also proposing a 10¢ increase in breakfast pricing,” Hasley said, adding that the increases would bring the district’s weighted average closer to the Connecticut benchmark. Hasley said the district’s current weighted average was $3.34 versus the state’s weighted average of $4.16 and that the proposal would lift the district average to about $3.69.

Officials said the projected additional revenue from the changes would be roughly $78,000 and described the proposal as a preventative step to avoid larger, more disruptive increases later. Board members pressed staff on waiver eligibility and family impacts; staff said a federal/state waiver had been applied for but that modest increases now would reduce the risk of a much larger rise in a subsequent year if the program remains unprofitable.

The superintendent said the district would notify families about the price changes promptly. The board’s approval applies to the figures presented in the handout and the motion carried during the operations committee portion of the meeting.