Burlington Schools Trim Deficit In Lunch Program

BURLINGTON, MA -- A deficit in the revolving account for the Burlington Public School system's lunch program that once topped $100,000 has been cut to $30,000. At last week's school committee meeting, Director of Operations and Technology Robert Cunha said his department still hopes to chip away at the deficit through the end of the school year and that the district is "trending towards a number that is a lot lower than last year."

Last year, the deficit topped $100,000, with about 70% of that deficit coming from an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables. Because revolving accounts cannot carry deficits from one year to the next, he school committee voted in December to transfer money from the school system's operating budget.

This year's deficit is in line with year's outside of last year's outlier. The revolving account typically finishes the school year with a deficit between $25,000 and $30,000. Those persistent deficits had school committee members questioning whether they needed to adjust the operating budget for food services or consider raising prices students pay for school lunches. Superintendent Eric Conti said federal programs that offset the costs for schools to offer meals is "waning."

"I do think raising prices should be the last move we use," Conti said.

The school system last raised prices in the 2013-14 school year. The quarter increase raised high school lunches to $3 and K-8 lunches to $2.75. Cunha said based on the average of 18,000 to 22,000 lunches purchased per month, another 25-cent increase would raise monthly revenue by about $5,500.

The school committee took no action on the matter at April 24 meeting.

Previously on Burlington Patch:

• Fresh Produce Fed Deficit In Burlington Schools Cafeteria Account (Dec. 11, 2017)

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