Elementary School Lunch To Cost More

If your child wants whole-wheat spaghetti with Tuscan meat sauce or whole grain coated fish sticks, it will cost more for lunch next year at the nine elementary schools in Framingham.

Framingham School Committee voted unanimously Tuesday night to increase the cost of lunch at the Framingham Public Schools at the elementary level by a quarter.

As of August 2015, the cost of elementary school lunch will be $2.75.

“I think that any increases will just continue the discouragement of students purchasing school lunch,” said Jake Binnall, who is the student representative to the Framingham School Committee and President of the Class of 2016 at Framingham High.

The cost of lunch for Framingham Public middle schools and Framingham High will not increase. It will stay the same at $3.

The School Committee voted last September, after school had begun for the 2014-15 school year, to raise the cost of the secondary school lunches as of October 1, 2014.

“The quality from when I began schooling in Framingham back in 2006 has decreased immensely, and it simply isn’t worth it anymore,” said Binall. “The food ends in the trash.”

Framingham Patch readers expressed displeasure with the quality of the school lunches on Facebook on Tuesday.

“If they can make food my kids will eat then I might consider paying a little more,” wrote Greg Schuler on Framingham Patch Facebook. “But when your kids who love cheeseburgers & pizza come home and say that is the grossest pizza and cheeseburgers, then that’s a problem.”

“They are not worth an increase,” wrote parent Michele Baker on Framingham Patch Facebook. “My kids have bought lunch from the schools 5 times maybe 6 this year because they are nasty. They see so many kids tossing the whole meal in the trash because it is horrible.”

Binnall, said if he was in attendance at the last night’s School Committee meeting he would have spoken out against the increase.

The high school student was instead across town at the Framingham Selectmen’s meeting, where he was appointed to the town’s Community Development Committee by Selectmen.

Framingham Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott said he apologizes to the families who feel the impact of this increase, which is necessary.

One of the reasons for the increase for the elementary school lunch price is the cost of milk, explained Framingham Public Schools COO Ed Gotgart.

Milk has gone up 12 cents a carton over the last three years for a total increase of $98,400, he told School Committee Tuesday night.

Framingham sells about 275,000 cartons of milk per year.

The cost of a la cart milk will stay the same at 60 cents.

The increase of a quarter will give the Food Services Department another $100,000 in revenue, said Gotgart.

Gotgart also apologized for the increase, but explained the food services department is self-sustaining and operates like a business.

About half of the 8,000-plus students in the public school district qualified for the free and reduced lunch program this school year. Gotgart said the rate for them will not increase, as it is tied into the federal program.

Gotgart said the “vast majority of the students” who participate in the elementary lunch program are on free and reduced lunch.

“We think we have one of the best cafeteria managers,” said Scott on Food Services Manager Brendan Ryan.

“He goes around the state speaking at conferences and to other (school) districts,” said Scott.

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Photo courtesy of the USDA.