Hingham School Lunch Prices To Increase

Students who take advantage of the food service provided by Hingham Public Schools will see a rise in the cost of their lunch for the upcoming school year.

At Monday's School Committee meeting, it was agreed that a small price increase in the food service provided would be required to allow the operation to remain sustainable for the next year. 

Participation in the state mandated program is currently around 30 percent and the hope is that by raising the current lunch cost by 25 cents at the various locations, this will buy enough time for the Public School Administration to look into various options of moving the program forward with the ultimate aim of increasing student and adult participation.

Lunches at , , and will all be increased by 10 percent with the new cost of a meal of $2.75. Lunch at the will now be $3.00 with students paying $3.25. Adult meals will be also be increased by 25 cents for either a basic or regular option. The price of a carton of milk, currently being sold for 50 cents, is to remain the same. 

“We ultimately want to upgrade the overall program and the perception of the program,” said John Ferris, Director of Business Services. “It’s good, healthy, nutritious food as it is, we want to provide good menu options for kids and to do that we need to make sure that we can stay in operation.”

The additional revenue raised by this price increase (based upon current participation numbers) will be $54,192 but if more students decide to enjoy the food that is prepared for them on site then the operation becomes far more sustainable. This could then allow the school administration to consider implementing a more retail friendly experience such as a pre-paid swipe card system that could cost up to $35,000 to install in the school system.