Suffolk students shouldn't count on piling their school lunch plates with corn or potatoes in the fall. They may be available only on a limited basis.
Teens in Norfolk won't see sliced black olives or jalapeno peppers on the deli line. Rice bowls and lasagna probably won't show up as often, either.
Because of rising food prices, South Hampton Roads school divisions are altering breakfast and lunch menus and increasing how much they charge. The same is happening nationally.
"We're looking in all areas to save cost," said James Ratliff, food services director for Virginia Beach schools. "We want to be sure we still have the quality in regards to the food."
Across the nation, food prices rose 5.1 percent from April 2007 to April 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index.
The prices of b read, cheese, milk and pasta - staples of school menus - rose between 12 and 17 percent in 2007, based on United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service data.
The USDA provides at least 15 to 20 percent of the food served as part of school lunches. The rest is purchased commercially, with reimbursements from the USDA. Meals provided to students for free or at a reduced price are reimbursed at a higher rate.
To continue receiving subsidies, schools are required to provide milk and other nutritional, yet pricey, items. But the money doesn't cover all expenses, which forces school districts to get creative to recoup costs.
Rising salary and fringe benefit costs, as well as oil prices, also play a role, said Erik Peterson, spokesman for the Alexandria-based School Nutrition Association.
At least 100 school districts across the country raised lunch rates in April, up from 40 during the same month last year, Peterson said. The average is 15 to 20 cents per meal, though some have increased as much as 50 cents, he said.
In South Hampton Roads, the price of a school lunch ranges from 85 cents to $1.80, depending on grade level and school division.
The Chesapeake School Board in April voted to raise regularly priced lunches by 15 cents for next school year, which will generate another $300,000.
Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach haven't made any decisions about price increases.
Suffolk's breakfast and lunch went up 15 cents per meal this school year, said Brian Williams, supervisor of Food & Nutrition Services.
"We've promised that we would not raise it next year, so we're stuck right now, " said Kevin Alston, Suffolk's assistant superintendent for administrative services.
"The likelihood that we're going to raise prices after two years is high."
Williams has heard from vendors that some prices have increased as much as 20 percent.
A 5 percent increase in the Suffolk school division's overall food costs would add up to about $130,000, he said.
Helen Phillips, senior director of Child Nutrition Services for Norfolk schools, said school divisions are taking a hit as well when purchasing disposable supplies, including Styrofoam trays and "meal kits" with a plastic fork, a straw and a napkin.
"Every student that eats every single day gets a meal kit, and they've gone up 18 percent," Phillips said.
To make ends meet, Peterson said, schools also are combining fresh and frozen vegetables, replacing grape tomatoes with less expensive varieties and cutting full-size carrots instead of serving the popular, but more expensive, baby carrots.
"The name of the game is examining every little cost to determine what makes sense economically," he said.
In Suffolk, Williams said he relies on a la carte snack items that meet wellness guidelines - such as reduced-sugar fruit snacks, baked chips and juices - to generate revenue.
Phillips said nonrequired items that increase in price by 20 percent or more could be cut from the Norfolk menu.
The School Nutrition Association wants the USDA to re-examine its reimbursement rates, which are adjusted every year based on inflation and the Consumer Price Index.
"Our concern is that in past year that increase has been 2, 3 percent" while the price increase of food has been more like 5 or 6 percent, Peterson said.
This school year, the base reimbursement rate for districts in all but Alaska and Hawaii is 23 cents per regular meal. The base reimbursements for free and reduced lunches are $2.47 and $2.07, respectively.
An April meal-cost study conducted by the USDA determined that, on average, "revenues from reimbursable lunches exceeded the cost of producing them." But Phillips disagreed.
"We want to provide the best quality, the best nutrition," she said. "Every year it gets harder and harder."
Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com
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What schools need to do, is stop providing all of the extra junk during lunch..At my son's school they actually offer icees at lunch along with various other unhealthy food items. Remove all of this and only have the school lunch a choice of two healthy entrees, vegatable and a starch, milk or water. A school district will probably save money, kids aren't spending extra money or eating items parents may not want the kids to eat and you may start helping the obese/overweight children in our schools. If they only have healthy choices and not all of the other crap, it may help. But is that common sense talking?....
Yes...people do go hungry in America
I am brought to mind a situation when I tried to help a lady I knew (divorced mother of two who was receiving no child support) with rent to avoid being evicted. A person with whom I worked asked why she didn't get an advance on her credit card! This made me realize that some people simply don't have a clue when it comes to understanding what it means to be "working poor". While there certainly ARE people who could make better use of their money, I believe the majority of the working poor DON'T spend their food budget on cable and cell phones. They are far more likely to be scraping the bottom of the barrel for rent money and gas for their hoopty in order to get to work...and they are well-versed in thrift store shopping for clothing and household items. I know for a fact there are people working in meat packing plants that truly cannot afford to buy the retail products they produce. So, is there a need for free lunches in schools to ensure kids get a nutritious meal or two? Heck, yes!! People ARE going hungry in America!
Really? Your Starving?
Haitians are feeding their children mud cakes just so they don't cry from hunger. People are dying in the streets. I think us fat (not just physically) Americans will be alright. Maybe people could cut their much wanted, sorry "needed," cable bills and find the extra .20 cents. Don't forget, cell phones, internet, wasted car rides, and cheap Wal-mart plastic crap are all privileges not rights. Oh yeah, and don't forget church benevolence, food stamps (not for crab legs), and feeding ministries. What will America do when it discovers the difference between needs and wants, privileges and rights?
re: Sigh Orion
Ethan wrote:
Orion, the point of the rice rations is because some commercial users (restaurants) found it cheaper to buy rice from the warehouse stores versus their commercial suppliers.
I know that, however, the media didn't portray that way. They did their usual job of playing to the fearful rather than disclosing the truth.
Times Have changed
These kids can pile on corn, potatoes on their plate? Times have changed. When I was a kid Lunch Lady Doris gave you a dab of Sloppy Joe on a hamburger bun with no sesame seeds..some government corn, and a pint of whole milk. If we would have gotten 2% we would have thought we were being cheated. There was no ala carte. Kids these days have it easy. When I was a youngster I had to walk to & from school in the snow....uphill....both ways...lol
Justified
If the family qualifies for free lunch then so be it, the parents have done nothing wrong except utilize the programs offerred to them. My children receive free lunch. I do not feel guilty. My ex pays me $350 a month in child support for the children. As you can guess by that figure I am a male and by no means am rich. If I were female I would be getting double or triple that. When I take the time to visit the children at lunch I buy them treats and If I was forbidden to do that then we would have a real problem. Don't chastize parents for doing the right thing.
The origins of school lunches
Actually came from the Great Depression when kids didn't have food at home, and the schools provided food to underprivileged children because they had nothing at home. Actually, public education as we know it today developed from the Great Depression when there was no work for kids, so rather than letting them roam the streets, they were put into schools. In reality, school lunches are mostly there for kids if they NEED it. And yes, free and reduced lunches are growing in this area. I am a teacher, and I teach at a wealthier school, and our free and reduced lunches are increasing. The kids who receive services are not the ones with the iPods and nice clothes. Usually they are the kids whose clothes are okay, but well worn. They are the kids who don't complain when something is given to them, because they don't get very much to begin with. And, for the poster who said that they get snacks and other junk for free, this is not true. They have to pay for any extra snacks, cookies, ice cream, etc. If they don't have money, then they don't get the goodies. They get a warm meal, and that is about it. Also, free and reduced status is confidential, so no one really knows who is free and red
Sigh Orion
Orion, the point of the rice rations is because some commercial users (restaurants) found it cheaper to buy rice from the warehouse stores versus their commercial suppliers. So they were buying up all the rice. I witnessed a friend tell a whole room full of people that Norfolk had recently qualified their first high school to reduced or free lunches for all students based on the large number of students that qualified. I forget the exact situation, but basically poverty when it comes to families with kids in public school is actually expanding. Everyone was amazed to hear this (I had no idea). Pretty sad, actually.
I work in a school. I see
I work in a school. I see so much waste everyday in the cafeteria. I understand that food items cannot be reserved, but you wouldn't believe how much milk is tossed out every lunch period. Out of an average class, at least half the milks are trashed, unopened. Also in Chesapeake, reduced price meals are .30 for breakfast and .40 for lunch. First, I'd be shocked if any parent can feed a child 2 meals for .70 a day. Second, are these very low prices for reduced cost meals rising also or are the prices mandated by the government? If they aren't preset, why not raise those prices by 5-10 cents per meal? Would it be totally out of the question to ask .40 for reduced breakfast and .50 for lunch? Still, I don't think any parent can feed their child 2 meals for less than a dollar a day.
Yoiks!!
Put inmates to work? Yes! Let's have the cleanest highways in the state! Let's resolve the agricultural worker shortage and reduce the need for illegal immigrant labor. But put them in the schools? Errr, no. Don't think so!
costs
I'm thinking about the costs. These folks are locked up and all they do is suck down tax dollars. Have you ever questioned how much it costs on a per inmate basis to keep these people locked up? Four years ago the Norfolk Sheriff advertised it cost $10000/year per inmate to keep him locked up. Check your cities budget and I'll bet you find that the Sheriff's Dept.'s budget is in the top three. Not everyone locked up is a violent criminal. Either that or be ready to cough some more tax dollars. Or give your suggestion to solve the problem.
Let's Follow Ronald Reagan's Lead
And classify Ketchup as a wholesome vegetable!
Yeah, a no
Keep the prisoners away from the school. What are you thinking?
Don't blame the schools
The free school lunch program is run by the Dept. of Agriculture and they set the rules. To receive a free lunch a family of four has to make 27560/year or less and for a reduced lunch it's 39,220. Well with what employers are paying in this area it's very easy for a large number of the students to qualify for the reduced price lunch. And if you're a parent why wouldn't accept it?
The selling of the a la carte items is just to try and help the schools. Do you really think your employer doesn't get a cut of the sales from the vending machines at your place of employment? Do you like the items being sold there? So why shouldn't the schools be any different?
Now with that said here's an idea to help the schools. Contract with the local sheriff and use inmates (trustees) to prepare and serve the food. Fire the kitchen staff and they'll see an immediate savings in the hundreds of thousands per year.
LOL Propel
Ingredients:
Tap Water
Sugar
Salt Artifical Flavors
Wait..... that's kool-aid :P
Propel? Who needs Propel?
Just drink water. Good grief -- that's what we drink every day for dinner and lunch (the boys drink milk at lunch). If you don't like the cafeteria prices, bag your child's lunch!
Sliced Olives?
REALLY? Sliced olives and jalepenos??? When I graduated 14 years ago, we had 4 choices, chicken patty, hamburger, cheeseburger and whatever the hot lunch item of the day was!
Chicken Patty, fries and chocolate milk is what my friends and I ate in school! We turned out just fine.. No heart problems, no obestity.. We are all normal healthy adults! Oh yea, 1994, paid $1.10 for lunch.. SO in 14 years its gone up less than $1.00.. Whoopdee Doo!
Long live the chicken patty!
Free lunch
What's really ripping off the system is that some of the kids who receive "free lunch," seem to always have extra $$$ in their pockets to buy other goodies. There's the real fraud and if we nip that practice in the bud (i.e. ensure those receiving free lunch only eat that and not be allowed to buy other goodies), then the cost wouldn't have to go up!
Ms. TeriDavisNewman
It isn't news, Teri. Yes prices are elevated due to a combination of issues; however the issue is being exacerbated by all the media outlets as an end of the world, stockpile food scenario.
The first was limiting rice to 2, 80 pound bags at the warehouse stores. Don't know about you, but I know of few families who need 160 pounds of rice a week.
Basically, it's another ploy to sell papers, get ratings and sensationalize the "news."
15 cents? This is news?
The school lunch prices are going up a whole FIFTEEN CENTS and this is supposed to be news? I've never had a lunch in the last 25 years that was less than fifteen DOLLARS, so please explain to me why this is news!