Students and families buying breakfast or lunch at Indian Prairie School District 204 schools can expect to see a higher price tag for meals next year, after the school board recently approved the district’s request to increase prices across the board by 25 cents per meal.
Previously, lunch was set at $3.30 for elementary school students, $3.40 for middle school students and $3.45 for high schoolers, per the district’s website. Breakfast was priced at $2.25 for all students. The district also offers free breakfast and lunch to eligible students, and reduced rates of 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch for students who qualify.
Next school year, lunch will cost $3.55 for elementary school students, $3.65 for middle school students and $3.70 for high school students paying full price for meals, according to a memo from the district’s Director of Support Operations Ron Johnson to the school board that was included in Monday’s meeting agenda. Breakfast next school year will cost $2.50 for those paying full price.
The following school year, prices will increase by another 25 cents for lunch, while breakfast prices will remain at $2.50, per the memo.
The meal price increases were approved unanimously by the district’s school board at the meeting on Monday evening as part of the consent agenda.
According to the district’s memo, the increase is required for compliance with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, passed by Congress in 2010. The district says that legislation requires that they ensure there are sufficient funds provided to the nonprofit school food service account to serve lunches for students who are not eligible for free or reduced price meals. Reimbursements for free and reduced price meals cannot subsidize the cost of paid lunches, the district noted.
The “true cost” of providing lunch to district students, a memo from Johnson to the board states, is actually $6.14, but the cost to break even is around $5.36 when factoring in the revenue generated by paid student meals and a la carte items as well as federal reimbursements from the United States Department of Agriculture. According to Johnson’s memo, the district is currently paying its food service provider, OrganicLife, about $4.41 per lunch served and about $2.31 for breakfast.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
