School lunch prices will go up in 2016-17

St. Mary Parish School District students will need extra money next school year to pay for their breakfast and lunch. The school board approved the cost increase during Thursday’s monthly meeting.

But first, the board’s school food service committee met before the meeting to discuss a possible lunch increase and departmental savings.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Food Act of 2010 requires all school food authorities to provide the same level of support for lunches served to students who are not eligible for free and reduced lunch rights as to those students who are eligible for free lunches, Child Nutrition Supervisor Claire Guarisco said in her opening statement.

School districts are required by law to gradually increase paid lunch charges so that the revenue generated from paid lunches is equal to the amount reimbursed by the federal government at the federal free reimbursement level.

“The state calculated lunch prices for the year and has determined from the State department that St. Mary Parish had to increase full paying lunch prices for 2016-17 school year,” Guarisco said.

The breakfast increase is optional for school districts.

Guarisco recommended breakfast increase by 5 cents and lunch by 10 cent for full-paying students. The increase does not apply to students who qualify for reduced-price lunches.

Breakfast currently costs 75 cents. With the increase, students will pay 80 cents.

Pre-K through fifth-grade lunches would go from $1.60 to $1.70. In sixth grade to 12th grade, lunch would go from $1.85 to $1.95.

Both breakfast and lunch increases would generate approximately $27,943 per year.

This figure was based off actual meals served at the end of last school year.

For breakfast alone, next year’s revenue was projected to be $3,394.70. The revenue projections for K-5 grade level lunch prices were $12,553.60 and grades 6-12 would generate $11,995.

The revenues made from purchasing school meals stays in the parish.

Guarisco, new to her position, plans to be proactive to make sure all students eligible for free and reduced lunch benefits receive them.

“In looking at our student participation rates over the last few years, those have dropped,” Guarisco said. “We are trying to increase student participation in both our breakfast and lunch programs.

 “We have a plan in place next year to use key personnel across our district to go to schools, orientations, and set up a table providing assistance to parents to complete those free and reduced lunch forms in a timely manner,” Guarisco said.

“The quicker we get them in, the quicker we get them processed.”

In other news, the board approved the revision to 2015-16 pupil progression plan regarding fifth-grade remediation.

The revised plan states students failing fifth grade may be promoted transitionally to the next grade by school officials with additional academic options that may be offered at either the school or district level.

Some of the options for remediation are computer program interventions, after-school academic tutoring, and Saturday tutoring. It is at the discretion of the receiving school.

In the past, fifth-graders could attend summer school for remediation. But it’s not an option this summer.

The appreciation weeks are approaching:

—Secretaries Week, April 25-29.

—Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-6.

—School Nutrition Employees Appreciation Week, May 2-6.