News
Students, parents to see higher meal prices
Aug. 20, 2008
Starting this school year, Mohonasen students and their parents will be paying slightly higher prices for school meals. Breakfast prices are rising 20 cents for all students (from 80 cents to $1), and lunch prices are rising 25 cents (from $1.50 to $1.75) for elementary students and 50 cents (from $1.75 to $2.25) for middle and high school students.
The reasons for these increases are twofold: food costs are up and revenue is down.
Across the country people are dealing with higher food prices. This is thanks, in part, to rising fuel costs. According to the Mohonasen Food Services Supervisor, Kim Gagnon, the cost of milk and dairy products is up roughly 17 percent, the cost of bread and grains is up about 13 percent, and the cost of fresh produce is up 15 percent.
“Just as people are paying higher prices when they go to the grocery store, we are paying more when we buy the food we serve to our students,” Gagnon said.
Mohonasen’s Food Service Program is entirely self supporting – meaning that its funding does not come from the district’s general fund budget. The program’s funding comes from government aid, the sale of ala carte items (breakfast and lunch items that are not part of the regular meal), and the sale of reimbursable meals (the regular meals).
For this year, state aide has decreased two percent and the amount of government commodity surplus food that is given to schools to help supplement food costs has decreased. Likewise, revenue from the sale of ala carte items has plummeted.
“We’re finding that as less healthful foods
are being replaced by healthier foods, kids aren’t as willing to
spend money on healthier options,” Gagnon said.
At the same time, the sale of reimbursable lunches isn’t covering
the cost to produce the regular meals. According to Gagnon, last
year, every time a lunch was served the district’s food program lost
91 cents at the elementary level and 66 cents at the middle and high
school level.
Despite the increases, Mohonasen’s breakfast and lunch prices are still comparable to those in other area school districts. The table below compares Mohonasen’s breakfast and lunch prices to the prices in five local districts.
| Breakfast | Elementary Lunch | Secondary Lunch | |
| Mohonasen | $1.00 | $1.75 | $2.25 |
| Guilderland | $1.25 | $2.00 | $2.25 |
| Niskayuna | N/A | $2.25 | $2.75 |
| Schalmont | $1.30 | $1.75 | $2.00 |
| Averill Park | $1.25 | $2.00 | $2.25 |
| Shenendehowa | $1.65 | $2.00 | $2.50 |
