Cost of School Meals to Increase for This Year

Summer is coming to an end, and the school year is just around the corner. The same old routine tries to reestablish itself, and while most students adjust; changes can throw an unexpected wrench into the transition. Rising school costs, such as meal prices, can leave parents thinking twice about the joys of being back to school.

The Jefferson County Department of Education has recently noted that the cost of school meals are going up this year. The department explains that due to federal guidelines over the past couple of years, along with the paperwork they must fill out to complete their funding, the prices must be subjected to an increase. The average price for a school meal for Pre-K through 5th grade students will be $2.25, while the price for K-12 students will be $2.35.

An official from the department explained that their lunch program is based off of a formula made by the state called TLE, or Paid Lunch Equity. The equity takes into account the participation of students in the meal program along with those students who have paid lunches and calculates cost based on those balanced numbers.

Though the increase in cost is necessary, the Department of Education is committed to the overall goal of seeing that every child is properly fed and that each student has a healthy, productive school year.