Board approves increase in school lunch, breakfast prices

Students in Craven County will pay 15 cents more next year for breakfast and lunch in the school cafeterias.

The Board of Education unanimously approved the increase Thursday night. Students will now pay $1.15 for breakfast and $2 for lunch. The increase is to help the system keep up with rising food costs and the cost of fuel to deliver the items to the schools, said David Clifton, the assistant superintendent for finance.

"Even going to two dollars a meal price next year is the best deal in town," Clifton said. "I don't know anywhere else in Craven County that you can go to have the meal we serve for two dollars."

Pamlico County students now pay $1.85 for lunch, said Steve Curtis, the system's finance director. Curtis said the system's Board of Education may look in June to increase that by 10 to 15 cents to keep up with food and fuel costs.

Craven students pay $1.85 for lunch this year. For that price, they get an entree such as fried chicken, a hot dog or lasagna, a vegetable and a fruit side item, bread and milk.

"We haven't had an increase in four years," Clifton said. "Everyone knows what is going on with the economy, and food costs are going up, up, up. It's just requiring that we look at the prices at this time to try to break even in the school lunch program."

The system contracts for food each year from  several companies. It orders food weekly to get what's needed in the cafeterias.

From July 2006 to April 2007, the system spent $2,105,000 on food. From July 2007 to April 2008, it spent $2,132,000.

"Our revenues were also down from last year to this year by $79,000," Clifton said. "So our food costs are rising and the amount of money students are spending on meals is going down. We're just really going to have to start monitoring everything we do and every dollar we spend. It appears on the horizon that these things are going to continue with what we see of increased costs."

Chairman Carr Ipock said the child nutrition department, which reports to Clifton, made a thorough presentation and the board understands the need for a price increase.

Ipock said students will continue to pay 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch if they are in the reduced-price program. He said those prices are set by the federal government.