Schools

Foxborough School Lunches Will See Price Increase

School lunches in Foxborough will see an increase of 25-cents.

The Foxborough School Committee voted Monday night, May 23, to increase the price of a school lunch by 25-cents in the elementary schools, middle school and High School.

The increase is part of an effort to reduce the district's costs related to feeding students in all schools.

"The food costs continue to escalate for a number of reasons," said Superintendent Christopher Martes.

The increase would bring the current price of $2.00 in the elementary schools to $2.25. In the middle school and High School the price would increase from $2.25 to $2.50 and the adult lunch price would be raised from $3.35 to $3.60 and $3.60 to $3.85.

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"Food prices are not going down and we are going to pay a price for everything this year [heat, electricity]," said school committee member Martha Slattery. "It is going to cost us more money than we can sustain."

The increase comes as the number of students receiving discounted lunch has grown.

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In 2009, 30,158 free lunch meals were served, while 7,056 reduced priced meals (40-cents) were served. Those numbers both increased in 2010 where 34,545 free lunch meals were purchased and 8,647 reduced priced lunches were served.

The down economy is being attributed to the increase in the number of reduced and free lunches. While those numbers are increasing, the number of full price meals served is decreasing. In 2009 over 245,000 full priced meals were served. However, in 2010, only 221,945 full priced meals were served with that number projected to decrease through 2012.

"The numbers in the high school have decreased along with the economy and minor changes in food - more whole grains, 1 percent milk, etc." echoed Martha Dooley, Food Service Directer in Foxborough.

"It is a very conservative number - we held off but now we need too [make a change]," noted school committee member Kate Kominsky.


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