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Lunches will cost an extra quarter
By DONNA WINCHESTER
© St. Petersburg Times, Pinellas County school lunch prices will rise by a quarter this year, the first increase in more than a decade. The increase was unavoidable, food service director Gray Miller said. "Over the past 11 years, the cost of food has increased every year without fail, and so has the cost of labor," said Miller, adding that in order to remain self-supporting, Pinellas' food service had no choice but to ask the district for an increase. The 25-cent addition was approved in March. Elementary school lunches will cost $1.50. Middle and high school lunches will cost $1.75, and school employees' and visitors' lunches will cost $2.50. The increase -- about $5.50 per month for a student who buys lunch every day -- will boost yearly revenue by $1.4-million and will help Pinellas' food service continue to operate within its $36-million annual budget, Miller said. The extra income also ensures that children will continue to receive generous portions of healthy food, according to county nutrition education specialist Dolores McCoy. School lunches consist of five components, McCoy said. Students are offered one serving of meat or a meat alternate, such as poultry, fish, peanut butter or cheese. They are given a choice of two vegetables or two fruits, or one of each; a bread selection; and a choice of whole, low fat, skim or chocolate milk. Desserts will still be included for students who choose at least three components, McCoy said, but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as part of the district's effort to cut down on high-fat items. Students will be able to purchase food a la carte, but some selections may cost more than they did last year, Miller said. Availability of items, which include pizza and individually wrapped sandwiches, varies from school to school. Prices will range from 25 cents for a hard-boiled egg to $3 for a Greek salad. School breakfasts, available in all elementary schools and about half of the middle and high schools, also will cost more this year. Elementary students will pay 75 cents, up 10 cents from last year, and middle and high school students will pay $1, an additional 35 cents. Employees' and visitors' breakfasts will rise 50 cents to $1.50. The price increase will not affect the 42,000 students who receive free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch, nor will it affect eligibility, which is based on family income and number of household members. Reduced-price breakfast will remain at 30 cents; reduced-price lunch will cost 40 cents. Method of payment for lunch or breakfast also will stay the same. Parents will continue to pay ahead into individual student accounts in daily, weekly, monthly or yearly increments. The total for each meal, including reduced-price meals, is deducted at the cash register when the student gives a four-digit code or shows a lunch card. Miller anticipates that parents will accept the price increase as an inevitability. "I'm sure they know they're not paying the same thing in a grocery store as they were 11 years ago," she said. And in spite of the increase, the meals are still a bargain according to McCoy. "I don't think you could pack a lunch for $1.75 and meet the nutritional requirement," she said. How much do kids eat?Pinellas County students consume a mountain of food in the course of a school year. The school food service department gathered these statistics for 1999-2000.
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