By Kim Siebert MacPhail
Because a number of factors have contributed to steep losses in school lunch revenues, Food Service Director Ken Whittier and Director of School Finance David Coelho presented a proposal to the School Committee on May 14 to raise lunch prices at the elementary schools by 25 cents. The result is that a regular lunch at those schools next year will cost $2.50.
In addition to the rise in price for a standard lunch, the proposal also recommended that another 25 cents be added to the cost of the “super lunch” option at Lane, John Glenn, and the high school that is now $1.00 higher than the regular lunch and provides a second entrée portion.
The price increase is intended to return the school lunch program to a level of sustainability, striving at least for the “break-even point.” In a presentation to the School Committee in late April, Whittier reported that the decrease in lunch sales between last year and this year was already $50,000, with two months still left in the school year. [To read The Citizen’s article about that presentation, visit: https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2013/04/25/school-lunch-program-struggling-with-regulations-costs/ ]
Rising food costs coupled with state and federal regulations that prescribe what can and can’t be offered at lunch were identified as the major drivers of revenue losses. For example, before the new regulations, students at the high school, were able to buy lunch items a la carte; now they must buy a whole meal or nothing at all. Portion sizes and meal components have also changed because of regulations that are intended to combat child obesity and improve overall nutrition. Government commodities in the form of low-cost foods help to offset higher market prices, but the choices are limited.
“You don’t have pizza and salad anymore, because you can’t afford it,” Whittier explained. “You have pizza and government vegetable.” He considered it a major victory that schools can now offer chocolate milk with lunch, a change from the current policy.
Before making the recommendation to increase prices, Whittier and Coelho researched what other districts charge at the elementary school level and found that Bedford was on par with some schools and below others. They also discovered that, because of the new state and federal food regulations regarding school lunch nutrition standards, many districts across the Commonwealth are experiencing elevated levels of revenue loss. Districts with high numbers of reduced and free lunches—reimbursed by the state at a rate of $2.92 per meal for the free lunch—are the only ones not operating in the red.
After considering and rejecting a number of other possibilities—including a rise in prices at the high school as well as at the elementary schools and subcontracting the school lunch program to an outside company—the School Committee voted unanimously to accept the price increases as recommended.
In conclusion, Whittier summarized the situation: “We’ve tried to make the best case for how to run the program efficiently. Our budget changes every single day. When a student doesn’t buy lunch, our budget goes out the window. We have to adjust and adjustments aren’t easy to do. This new food program is in its infancy; it hasn’t taken off. People’s habits need to change. It’s a whole different ball game.”
Loading ...
