Moreover, thinking back, the food was really pretty good. And the price seemed affordable.
Nowadays, that may not be the case. The cost of a school lunch, even if it seems a bargain, is too much for some. This in turn is causing schools to take rather drastic measures.
As in the case of the Harrisonville public schools, which are currently facing a lunch deficit of over $20,000 and the amount is growing. That number includes as many as 450 families that are not putting money into lunch accounts.
To be as proactive as possible, the schools will begin emailing and calling parents when the account reaches a zero balance; around $10 in the hole will result in a basic lunch of a jelly or cheese sandwich, vegetable, fruit and milk.
More notices will be sent as the amount approaches the $40 cutoff. At this point, students will not receive a lunch.
According to school officials they are doing the best they can with what resources they have available. And Harrisonville isn't alone. Most all schools in the area are feeling the same pinch and there isn't a cut and dried method to solving the problem. To further complicate matters, over 40% of students are already on a reduced price/free lunch program. That number is about par for most public schools in Missouri and Kansas.
Nationally, subsidies paid to schools for lunches are over $8 billion a year; but many argue that isn't enough to keep up with rising costs.
About half of all schoolchildren receive free lunches which leaves an instant deficit of about 25 cents or more for each of the 15 million lunches served each day. A caveat- schools lose even more money when students pay full price. Why? The subsidy is less, resulting in a net loss of more than twice the amount for free lunches.
While there doesn't appear to be money in the national budget to increase subsidies, schools like Harrisonville are forced to find other ways to offset costs.
Expect to hear other schools in the area taking similar steps to resolve the issue.
