Lake Holcombe School Board - Meal prices have to be raised to make balance

Lisa Spletter, Lake Holcombe School District accountant, explained what new school lunch prices will look like for this coming year, going over the increases with board members July 15. The prices have not been raised since 2017-18, but need to go up, to make the Food Service Fund balance out. Photo by Joy Dain

By Ginna Young

Thanks to the drop in post-COVID USDA meal reimbursement, and increased labor and food costs, Lake Holcombe School is now forced to raise their meal prices. A good number of the school population already qualifies for free and reduced lunches.

The price increases were approved July 15, with lunch going up by 40 cents for elementary, and 50 cents for middle and high school. There’s also a 25-cent increase for breakfast.

“Keep in mind, we haven’t had a price adjustment since the 2017-18 school year,” said district accountant Lisa Spletter.

For those who don’t qualify for free and reduced meals, the school does have an Angel Fund set up, which comes from donations, that deposits money into delinquent or low accounts. The parents can apply to have funds transferred into the student’s account.

It’s true there’s never enough to go around, as the state aid estimate is again down by 15 percent, dropping Lake Holcombe ever closer to the inevitable $0, unless a new funding formula is reached.

Lake Holcombe also received a notification from their policy adviser company, that they have to revise Title IX, as well as new Policy 2264 and an administrative guideline. The new policy is broader in scope, covering all forms of sex discrimination, not just sex-based harassment.

It also must be done by Aug. 1, so the board approved the changes, to be in compliance with the state.

“This kind of came out nowhere,” said Lindau. Members also accepted $600, from the Lake Holcombe Education Foundation, for the after-school end-of-year field trip and $448.75, for reading interest materials.