The Great Falls Public Schools board voted during their May 27 meeting to increase student meal prices for the upcoming school year by 10 cents, the lowest allowable increase under federal law.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires schools participating in the National School Lunch Program
to annually evaluate the prices charged for paid student meals to ensure the price remains in line with federal reimbursement rates for free and reduced-price meals, according to GFPS.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides a weighted average price adjustment calculator, which school districts use to determine the minimum required price for paid meals.
For the current school year, USDA indicated a weighted average price of $3.45 per lunch.
The calculator isn’t available yet for the upcoming school year, but federal regulations require that if a district’s paid meal price is below the calculated weighted average price, the district must either increase the paid meal price to meet the WAP or raise it by a minimum of 10 cents annually until it reaches the required level.
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If the price isn’t adjusted annually, the district must cover the difference between paid lunch prices and the weighted average price using non-federal funds.
GFPS serves about 900,000 lunches annually.
The full increase to match the expected weighted average price is expected to exceed 10 cents, “applying the minimum increase option under USDA regulations will help address rising food, labor, and supply costs while balancing affordability for families. This approach allows the district to make incremental adjustments and avoid sudden, burdensome increases for students and families who do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals,” Brian Patrick, GFPS’ business operations manager wrote in his agenda report.
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The district will revisit the meal prices once the USDA has released the final weighted average price calculator for the upcoming school year to ensure ongoing compliance, Patrick wrote.
The 10 cent increase will change:
- elementary lunches from $3 to $3.10
- elementary breakfasts from $1.95 to $2.05
- secondary lunches from $3.10 to $3.20
- secondary breakfasts from $1.95 to $2.05
