Portsmouth eyes increase in school lunch prices

PORTSMOUTH

Cindy Iman has no problem paying 10 cents extra for her children's school lunches if it means the menu will be stocked with healthier items.

"Ten cents more, that's reasonable," said Iman, whose two children attend Olive Branch Elementary and now pay $1.25 each for lunch. "A Happy Meal is $3.70 or something, and it's not very healthy."

School leaders are considering a proposal to raise lunch prices to begin satisfying the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The initiative aims, in part, to provide more nutritious meals. The School Board is expected to vote on the proposal June 6.

Already schools are offering healthier options, such as yogurt about once a week, wrote Jim Gehlhoff, the division's food service coordinator, in an email. But in the future, he said, "We could have all breads served be whole grain," and, "We could have yogurt available for all meals including light/low-fat."

The law requires divisions charging lunch prices of $1.60 to $2.45 to raise prices by at least 5 cents next school year, according to the Virginia Department of Education, but allows for some flexibility.

The law is designed to assure that "the meal price for full paid students is sufficient to cover the entire cost of the meal and that other federal funds, such as free or reduced price reimbursement, are not used to supplement the cost of a full price lunch," according to a Virginia Department of Education email.

"Student meal prices must be evaluated annually and gradual adjustment continued until the full price equals or exceeds the free reimbursement differential."

In Portsmouth, students who pay full price for their meals will have to fork over $1.35 per meal. Those who qualify for reduced lunch prices would pay 40 cents next school year, up from 30 cents this school year.

In Portsmouth, 58 percent of students qualify for free lunch and 8 percent for reduced prices. The division also has one of the lowest lu`nch prices in Virginia, according to the state.

At Thursday's School Board meeting, member Claude Parent called the proposal "a modest increase" for healthier meals.

Most other board members appeared to share the sentiment. Board member Ned McCabe said the division's meals are "about the only nutritious" ones some children would get.

Board member Costella Williams also favors the increase, though she sounded reluctant at first. "I don't know if they have 10 cents more to give," she said of the division's families with financial struggles.

When she learned students who already pay for lunch would be the ones affected, she said she favored charging more.

Other South Hampton Roads school divisions have already approved lunch price increases for next year. Virginia Beach, which currently charges $2.15 for lunch, will raise the price by 5 cents. The city's students already pay the maximum for reduced lunch - 40 cents - as mandated by federal law. Chesapeake approved an increase to $2 from $1.90 for elementary students. Norfolk school leaders are being asked to consider raising prices by 5 cents. Suffolk does not intend to increase prices next school year.

Like Iman, Kathy Hood, whose child attends Cradock Middle School, said charging 10 cents more for lunch is fine if kids get healthier fare, but she acknowledged it might not be OK for everyone.

"For parents who coming up with lunch money may be a struggle, it may be an issue," Hood said.

Cheryl Ross, (757) 446-2443, cheryl.ross@pilotonline.com