MMSD participates in the National School Lunch Program, and therefore, we must adhere to federal regulations, including meal pricing. Section 205 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires our full paid meal prices to cover all costs of the meal. The Act prevents schools from using federal reimbursement for free or reduced meals to supplement by under-charging full pay students (or “of income families”). This law is in place in order to ensure equity in meal pricing. USDA provides us with a Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Tool to calculate the minimum price we should be charging our full pay students for meals.
3. Analysis: The last increase for paid meal pricing in MMSD took effect in the 2014-15 school year, where lunch was increased by $.10 per meal. Food & Nutrition is requesting a price increase of $.20 per meal for breakfast and lunch, effective for the 2020-21 school year. This will exceed the pricing requirements of the PLE, and will cover increased operating costs in the areas of food, supplies, salaries, and benefits.