School District Approves 25 Cent Lunch Increase

A vote by the Thursday will help it raise $51,284.

In a unanimous decision, board trustees approved a $0.25 increase on the price of lunch paid by students and non-students—like teachers or staff who choose to eat in the cafeteria. The fee doesn't affect the price of breakfast or the students who already receive a free or reduced price lunch.

For the 2012-2013 school year, a full price lunch will now cost $3.50 for students and $4 for non-students.

According to the district's Chief Business Official Terese McNamee about 50 percent of the students currently pay full price of their meal. The MVWSD serves nearly 500,000 meals a year, McNamee said.

"There have been no price increase over the last few years, but the costs have increased," said McNamee. The money raised, she added, would be used to reinvest in equipment and software to maintain food services operations.

McNamee shared that the district applied for a new program to provide free and reduced afterschool snacks. The district would pay upfront for the food, but the reimbursement would be higher than the cost of the program.