Lunch Prices Increase In The Talawanda School District

BY MARIEL PADILLA
Miami University Journalism Student

School lunch prices will increase by 30 cents a meal in the Talawanda School District. After much deliberation, the Board of Education voted unanimously on Sept. 12 to increase the price in all five schools within the district, effective Oct. 1.

That means lunch at the elementary schools will go from $2.25 to $2.55 each, with the middle school going from $2.75 to $3.05, and the high school going from $2.80 to $3.10. The increase means a family with two children will pay $3 more a week for their lunches.

The last time there was an increase in meal prices was in the 2009 fiscal year. For years, the board tried to find ways to cut expenses before raising revenues.

“This has been coming for quite awhile,” Board Vice President Mike Crowder said. “We have actually deficit spent in the meal line for the last five or six years, but the board that we currently have has really resisted from raising the cost of those meals because it’s such a hardship on families.”

Why 30 Cents?

According to Treasurer Mike Davis, “15 cents is mandated by the government, and the other half is fiscally responsible to balance out our budget. That 30 cent increase positions us for a two- to three-year growth.”

The Ohio Department of Education required a minimum 15 cent increase. Because the state provides free and reduced lunches to students who qualify, the school district has to charge the full-paying students the same amount that the state is reimbursing for the free meals.

Davis researched the optimal increase amount. He took into account the state’s demand, the district’s current deficit, forecasts on the price of food and predicted participation rate in order to find where the district would break even.

Oxford Community

A 30 cent increase might be a significant difference for many families in the Oxford community, especially those with more than one child. The median household income in the Talawanda School District is $34,300.

Approximately 46 percent of lunches served in the five schools last year were free, provided by the state. Qualifications for free and reduced lunches are based on salary and the number of dependents per household.

In order to comply with state’s price equity requirements, the district had to increase the lunch prices to match the amount of money the state was reimbursing. However, this wasn’t the only factor contributing to the decision. Not enough students were buying lunch in the cafeteria.

“They all have different reasons for not participating,” Brenda Wright, president of the Classified Staff Association, said. “Some don’t like what’s being served, some think it takes too long to get through the line even though that takes a maximum of 10 minutes, some don’t like being in the cafeteria at all. For the kids, the price isn’t why they’re not buying their lunch.”

Nutritional Guidelines

In 2010, the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act was introduced, spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama. The goal was to decrease child obesity in America by serving more nutritious food in public schools across the country.

After the new guidelines were established in the Talawanda School District, the cafeterias experienced a dramatic loss. In the fiscal year 2011, the schools’ cafeterias were in the green, with a profit of approximately $20,000. By fiscal year 2014, there was a net loss of $40,000 as participation plummeted.

“The reports from the cafeteria staff said that kids were throwing their lunches away in the garbage. So parents would find out their kids were hungry so they started sending lunch with their kids. It’s a vicious cycle,” Crowder said.

As president of the Classified Staff Association, Wright represents any staff members who aren’t teachers or administrators. This includes the education assistants, the custodians, the secretaries, maintenance and the cafeteria staff.

“Eating nutritional healthy food is a good thing,” Wright said. “But I personally don’t like it being mandated from the government down. I think they’ve gone a little too far with some of the regulations because you give up a lot of taste, and the reason the kids don’t go and don’t buy is because they don’t like what’s being offered.”

Future Impact

“I don’t want to keep coming back year after year,” Davis said in response to the board’s decision. “I think that’s a frustration, and I’d like to get this increase behind us. At least for the next two years, we can avoid another increase.”

This price increase will balance the district’s budget, comply with the state’s regulations, and ensure that there is not another increase for at least a couple more years. More student participation would also help keep the price low because the more students purchase lunches at school, the more equity there is between district revenue and state reimbursements.

“Prices will continue to rise,” President of the Board Mark Butterfield said, “but what we can do is try to keep our prices consistent. Over the years, we’ve managed less than a 1 percent increase. We keep the increases as minimal as possible.”

Photo: Talawanda High School students buy lunch in their cafeteria. -- Contributed photo