Consider/Approve School Meal Prices for 2026-2027 School Year Description: Priority #5: Optimize All Available Resources Paid Student Meal Pricing: - Lunch: The Healthy, Hunger-Free, Kids Act of 2010 requires that paid student lunch prices be greater than or equal to the total amount of cost and revenue incurred for a free lunch to ensure Paid Lunch Equity (PLE). When it is determined that the pai

Staff Report & Agenda Item Details

5.K. Consider/Approve School Meal Prices for 2026-2027 School Year Description: Priority #5: Optimize All Available Resources Paid Student Meal Pricing: - Lunch: The Healthy, Hunger-Free, Kids Act of 2010 requires that paid student lunch prices be greater than or equal to the total amount of cost and revenue incurred for a free lunch to ensure Paid Lunch Equity (PLE). When it is determined that the paid lunch cost is not equitable to the free lunch revenue, districts must remedy that by increasing meal prices or by utilizing the Paid Lunch Equity exemption. The total free lunch revenue for 2026-2027 is $4.87 per meal and the recommended weighted average price of paid lunches was $4.16. Student Nutrition would like to use the PLE exemption to maintain the paid lunch price of $3.75 for school year 2026-2027. - Breakfast: Breakfast meals are not subject to PLE requirements. For this reason, districts are allowed to set the price of breakfast meals to $0.00 for all reduced and paid students and cover the cost of the loss of revenue with federal program funds. Student Nutrition eliminated paid student breakfast cost in school year 2024-2025 and continued this practice throughout 2025-2026. However, the loss of breakfast revenue can no longer be comfortably absorbed by the Student Nutrition budget. Student Nutrition is recommending reinstating the cost of paid breakfast to $2.25 beginning August 31, 2026, at all non-mandated (universal free) campuses. This will allow the district time to communicate this change to parents of paid students so that they can apply for meal benefits or budget appropriately for the increased cost of breakfast. - Reduced Meal Pricing: Student Nutrition's recommendation is to keep reduced student lunch prices at $0.00 for school year 2026-2027. - Adult Meal Pricing: Student Nutrition's recommendation is to keep adult meal prices at a-la-carte pricing for school year 2026-2027. Recommendation: It is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves the 2026-2027 Meal Pricing as presented.