School meal prices to increase next year

What started in 2009 as a plan to raise the cost of school meals will now be a reality for the 2010-2011 school year.

Starting in August, the price range for school lunches and breakfasts in elementary, middle and high schools will go from $1.25-$2.45 to $1.35-$2.65.

This follows a similar increase that took place during the 2009-2010 school year.

The price increase was called for by Child Nutrition Programs Director Cynthia Ruffin. She said the increases are needed because of steadily increasing food, supply and employee benefit costs.

“A meal price increase plan was created in 2008-2009 when expenses for the Child Nutrition Budget exceeded revenues by more than $340,000,” Ruffin said. “The majority of the loss could be contributed to increased food and supply costs along with the purchase of some large kitchen equipment.

“Prior to the request in 2009, an increase in lunch prices had not been made in four years.”

During the past year, money collected from the sale of meals accounted for less than 40 percent of the true cost to produce a meal.

Prices are also expected to go up as the board wants to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to the menu at schools.

“We all know that these foods are more costly, but are well worth the expense,” Ruffin said.

The increases will not apply to those who qualify for the reduced-price lunch program.

The increases that Ruffin originally suggested to the board would have caused the price in meals to jump 20 to 80 cents, but Ruffin said the board didn’t want that large of an increase passed on to parents and teachers in just one year.

So the board decided to implement the cost increase slowly over three or four years, providing a subsidy to make up for the higher cost. Each year, they would slowly decrease the subsidy they pay by 10 to 20 cents, therefore making the meals 10 to 20 cents more expensive to those buying them.