Schools

Cobb School Meal Prices Going Up

Healthier menu options will cost students and teachers more for the 2012-13 school year.

Parents will have to add a few more coins to their childrens' change purses to buy meals at school next year.

The Cobb County School District on Thursday announced that it would be raising the price for meals for the 2012-13 school year that begins in August. 

The price hikes are the first in Cobb in 11 years and are due primarily because of healthier menu options that include more whole grains, more fresh fruits and vegetables, and lower sodium offerings, the district said in a written release.

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It's part of the U.S. Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and the additional costs are also attributable to cost make-ups tied to federal subsidies.

The new costs will be 25 cents for breakfast and 50 cents for lunch for students. Adult lunches will go up 25 cents, while guest lunches will cost 50 cents more. 

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The only unchanged meal category are adult breakfasts, which will remain at $1.50.

The school system also said that costs for cafeteria personnel are on the rise, with health insurance contributions increasing from $2.6 million to $4.3 million in fiscal year 2013, another $1.5 million in fiscal year 2014 and another $1.5 million in fiscal year 2015.

The following is a breakdown of what school meals cost now, and the proposed new prices: 

Meal Current Cost Proposed Cost Elementary School Student Lunch $1.65 $2.15 Middle School Student Lunch $1.80 $2.30 High School Student Lunch $1.90 $2.40 Adult Lunch  $2.75 $3.00 Guest Lunch  $2.75 $2.35 Elementary School Breakfast  $1.00 $1.25 Middle School Breakfast  $1.00 $1.25 Breakfast  $1.00 $1.25 Adult Breakfast  $1.50 $1.50


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