WILMINGTON, MA — It was something they didn’t want to do, but had to.
At last night’s Wilmington School Committee Meeting, the board approved increasing school lunch prices across the district by 10 cents for the 2015-2016 school year.
- Lunches for elementary school students will increase from $2.30 to $2.40
- Lunches for middle school and high school students will increase from $2.55-$2.75 to $2.65-$2.85
- Adult lunch prices would increase from $3.70 to $3.80.
The board made the move in response to federal legislation, as explained by Wilmington Food Services Director Mary Palen:
“As a result of legislation that was passed under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, section 205, the Wilmington Public Schools will need to increase lunch prices for the 2015-2016 school year. The provision, effective July 1, 2011, requires all School Food Authorities participating in the National School Lunch Program to ensure that schools are providing the same level of support for paid lunches as they are for lunches served to students who are eligible for free lunches. To adhere to the new legislation, the Wilmington Public Schools will need to increase the price of student lunches to bring them close to $2.70, the difference between the Federal reimbursement and the Federal reimbursement for paid lunches.”
Palen also noted that the costs of whole grain products, fruits and vegetable have risen dramatically over the past few years, putting pressure on school food programs to cover their costs.
Despite the increase, Wilmington school lunch prices remain was of the lowest in the area, according to this chart provided by Palen:
In Other News: Also Wednesday night, the Wilmington School Committee awarded the copy paper bid for the 2015-2016 school year to W.B. Mason, the lowest bidder, and approved the disposal of surplus elementary math textbooks from 2008.
Look for additional articles on this School Committee Meeting in the coming days.
Wilmington Apple 