EV considers raising meal prices
As food and fuel prices continue to rise, East Valley has become the latest school district to consider raising its hot lunch prices, and is also looking for other ways to cut costs.
Board members heard a brief presentation on several options Tuesday night, but took no action. The price proposal suggests raising high school lunch prices from $2.45 to $2.60; elementary breakfasts from $1.15 to $1.35, and elementary lunches from $1.95 to $2.10. Middle school breakfasts could go from $1.25 to $1.35 and middle school lunches, from $2.20 to $2.40.
In the 2006-‘07 school year the district spent $92,652 subsidizing the meal program and spent an estimated $68,300 for the 2007-‘08 school year, said business manager Skip Berquam. That subsidy is projected to rise by an additional $74,000 next year if no changes are made.
Part of the reason is the increasing number of students eating at the schools. “Out participation in total meals is up significantly over what we budgeted,” Berquam said.
Board member Roger Trainor said he wanted more time to consider all the options before deciding to raise prices. “Maybe we can help out and not have to do that,” he said. “Maybe we can figure something else out, something outside the box.”
In addition to possibly increasing lunch prices, the district is also searching for other ways to save money. “We are looking at getting more deliveries directly to the schools rather than taking it to the warehouse and redistributing it,” Berquam said. “We’re working on reducing some of those costs.”
Berquam said he also looked at the staffing levels at the elementary schools. The standard is for staff to prepare between 25 and 30 meals per labor hour. “Ours are all about 20 or 19 or 18 (per labor hour),” he said. “That means we’re overstaffed.”
If the district cut 10 hours per day, those numbers would rise to about 26 meals per labor hour. The move would also save the district $30,000. The director of food services is working to see if such a cut is possible, Berquam said. “People are used to working in this district with that level of staffing.”