ASHLAND —
Students who buy their lunches at school but don’t qualify for free or reduced-price meals are having to pay more at some area schools because of a 2010 federal law.
The law requires districts to raise prices an amount equivalent to what they receive in government reimbursement for students who get free and reduced-price lunches.
Boyd and Greenup counties raised prices 25 cents and Russell added 10 cents. Ashland raised the price for adult meals 25 cents but didn’t raise student prices.
Fairview and Carter counties didn’t raise prices because both districts have opted into a federal program under which they offer all students free lunches.
The price-hike requirement applies only to lunches and schools aren’t obligated to take any action on their breakfast prices.
The price hikes bring the districts closer to compliance with the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a federal law that completely overhauled food service regulations, according to one school official.
The federal lunch reimbursement amount is currently $2.51. Districts that charge less than that for paid meals don’t have to match that amount right away and can do so incrementally, said Russell food service director Dennis Chambers.
That is what his district is doing. It could have started raising last year but chose not to. Russell probably will have to raise the price again next year or the year after, he said. The full-pay price this year for grades six through 12 will be $1.85. “So we still have a long way to go,” he said.
In Russell, about two thirds of students pay full price.
In Greenup one third pay full price, which this year will be $2.25 for middle and high school, $2 for elementary. Previously the district had not raised prices for three years, said business manager Scott Burchett.
The reason for the regulation is that if paid prices are less than free and reduced prices, the federal money is in effect subsidizing the paid meals.
Ashland’s board decided to hold off on raising student prices because of the still-soft economy, but added a quarter to adult meals, Superintendent Steve Gilmore said. However, the district eventually will have to do the same for student meals, he said.
The 2010 law also changes nutritional requirements, including specific regulations on sodium content and fresh foods, Burchett said. The regulations spell out amounts of dark green vegetables and quantities of whole grains, for instance.
That will add more cost to the meals because fresh foods are more expensive, and add more complexity to creating menus because school food service managers have to figure out how to make meals that meet the requirements and that kids will still eat.
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2652.
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