Andover Plans To Raise School Lunch Prices Next Year

ANDOVER, MA — Andover Middle and High School students would pay more for school lunches next year under a proposal by food services director Gail Koutroubas, but elementary school students would pay the same. The School Committee is expected to vote on the proposal, which would raise middle school lunch prices to $3.25 and high school lunch prices to $3.50, at its next meeting. Prices would be unchanged for elementary students, who would continue to pay $3.

School Committee members said they are likely to support the higher lunch prices when they vote on the proposal. Koutroubas said the increase reflects food cost increases of 11.9 percent in a district that typically sees annual food cost increases between 3 and 5 percent, higher labor costs and the district's effort to use more compostable materials.

"These prices seem incredibly reasonable and I wouldn't be against a more aggressive proposal either," School Committee member Shannon Scully said in comments that were echoed by other members of the board. "I would encourage you to be more aggressive with the pricing,"

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).