School Lunch Will Increase Next Year

The Newport School Committee did not come to an agreement regarding a one-year contract renewal been Compass Group/Chartwells during its meeting on Tuesday night, but members did unanimously vote to increase school lunch prices.

In a memorandum to the Newport School Committee, Superintendent John Ambrogi wrote that he could not recommend the contract as advised by the committee's legal council after an analysis.

Ambrogi did, however, recommend to increase lunch prices for paying students by 25 cents for elementary school and 15 cents for middle school and high school.

Currently, Newport's elementary school lunch price is 50 cents lower than the lowest East Bay school and the middle and high school lunch price is 40 cents lower.

Prices are currently $1.75 at the elementary school and $2.10 at the middle and high schools.

“That increase can be a lot to a family on the edge,” committee member Robert Leary said during the meeting.

Committee member Rebecca Bolan added that certain federal policies have “forced [the committee's] hand" in raising the price for paying students. 

Bolan said the school department receives federal reimbursements for reduced lunch, which for years has gone towards subsidizing paid students' lunches.

“Chartwell's has projected that these increases would allowthem to essentially break-even for the 2012-2013 school year,” Business Manager John Miley wrote in a Memorandum to Ambrogi.