Public hearing set to increase school lunch prices by 25 cents

Boundary County School District’s 1,500 students and staff may pay 25 cents more for lunches come fall.

A public hearing for the proposed increases will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Boundary County Middle School.

If approved, students in kindergarten through fifth grade would pay $2.25 for a lunch, which is a 12.5 percent increase; sixth through 12th grades would pay $2.50, an 11.1 percent increase; and adults would pay $3.35, a 7.7 percent increase.

The increase is needed to offset rising food costs, said Superintendent Dr. Don Bartling.

“The prices of food have just gone up significantly in the last six months due to transportation,” Bartling said.

Gail Reoch, food service supervisor for the school district, recently told the school board the food service department was facing another deficit year.

The department ended 2006-07 with a $115,000 deficit. Reoch said she expected a deficit for the current school year — possibly 10 to 15 percent lower than last year. Prior to the four-day school week being instituted in 2004, the food service department experienced a lower deficit of $18,000 to $20,000 annually.

Reoch also told the board she didn’t expect things to get better with rising food costs.

To save money, when students returned from spring break on April 7, the breakfast menu included fewer choices. Fewer choices means employees would have to work fewer hours.

Applications for students wishing to receive free or reduced-price lunches will be distributed the first week of school.