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Editorial: Raise school lunch prices in Schenectady
Sunday, December 7, 2008
There surely isn’t a supermarket or restaurant in the country where prices haven’t risen over the last 11 years. So why did the Schenectady school district wait this long to decide to bump up prices on the breakfasts and lunches it sells to students who don’t qualify for free or reduced-price meals? The probable answer is that it was getting such huge increases in state aid almost every year that it didn’t much care if its lunchroom operations were losing money. What’s $175,000 a year in a budget subsidized by the state to the tune of $97 million? But now, of course, the story has changed: Gov. David Paterson has all but assured school districts that there will be actual cuts in state aid next year, so the school district is rethinking its lunch-pricing policy. Better late than never. Yes, the increases proposed by Superintendent Eric Ely (but rejected last week by the board of education) would be a burden on some of the families who don’t qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. (For the former, incomes within 130 percent of the federal poverty limit — $21,200 for a family of four — qualify; for the latter, those within 185 percent pay the reduced price of just 25 cents per meal.) The price hikes paid by everyone else — and only 28 percent of the district’s population don’t qualify for free- or reduced-price meals — would range from 75 cents to $1.05 more per meal, and in some cases would represent increases of 100 percent or more (e.g. breakfasts would rise from 75 cents to $1.50 in elementary schools and from 75 cents to $1.75 in middle schools). If $1.75 seems pretty high and encourages more parents to give their kids breakfast at home (as they should), what’s the harm? Hiking lunch prices to $2.50 in elementary schools and $2.65 in middle and high schools would probably result in more brown-bagging, but, again, so what? The point is, the district’s job is to educate kids, not feed them. If parents can afford to make their kids a peanut butter and jelly or tuna sandwich every day, they should do so — or pay enough to cover the district’s cost in providing a comparable meal. That’s especially critical now that state aid is being cut back, jeopardizing educational programs or requiring property tax hikes, neither of which is desirable. Parents who can’t afford to provide their kids’ meals, either at home or in the cafeteria, should be sure the kids get the free or reduced-price meal they’re entitled to. Toward that end, the district should make a concerted effort to reach out to parents before raising meal prices substantially. But raise them they should. Get ALL of our news...Click here to subscribe to our online edition, a complete replica of our print edition.
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July 4, 2009
4:53 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
What is interesting is many of those families that will be complaining that the cost is too much they can't afford it have cable tv.
Breakfast is something that should be at home with the family all sitting together. Where is mom and forget about a dad being around. Most folks in the poverty level are single mom households.
I survived bringing a lunch to school. Sandwich, a cookie or two and a fruit and I bought the milk there. So what is the problem with kids today. Their parents are too lazy to make them lunch and for the older kids they are to lazy to make their own lunches.
9:22 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
"the district’s job is to educate kids, not feed them."
This is the point that should be boldfaced, highlighted, and underlined. We live in a culture today that treats our schools like they're daycare centers, a quick and easy spot to drop off our kids. Let the school take care of them for eight hours while parents shuffle off to work, or to the bars, etc.
Feed your child breakfast. Make them lunch. How hard is this? Don't make excuses, seeing how you had zero problems having the child.
7:16 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I agree with the previous comments. Even with the increase the price isn't excessive. I don't know where else one can get a meal for less than that these days.
I don't like that schools have become daycare centers either!
11:31 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
For "incomes within 130 percent of the federal poverty limit — $21,200 for a family of four", does that dollar amount equal the poverty limit, or 130% of it? That was kinda confusing.
I'm really not on either side of this argument, though from a business point of view, I wonder. If a lot of students start brown-bagging it, less food would be bought in bulk, making the meals cost more for the schools per student. Not likely as much as the student increase, but something else to consider.
8:06 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
The schools main goal is to educate kids, but for students who pay this everyday without free or reduced lunch, it adds up. Yes parents can be packing lunches, but some parents dont have the time. Most of the students with free or reduced lunch can not afford to get a bagged lunch everyday and the food that they get at school is very unhealthy, meaning that because they cant afford to bring a lunch everyday they have to eat disgusting and unhealty food? From my point of view, I dont think they should raise prices unless they get healthier choices (better quality food).
11:34 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I am a very busy parent as well and I find the time each morning to make my children breakfast, get my self ready for work and pack my lunch as well as there's. It is something that can be done it's just that parents today do not feel like they have that kind of time to do so. They should raise the prices everything else is going up. Half the kids get it free anyways so it really isn't going to effect many of the students except those parents who could care less to make there child a lunch and feed them before the bus comes.
4:02 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I dont agree, because actually there is about 3,000 kids in our school and about 70 or 75 percent of them do get free or reduced lunch. Not all of them actually cant aford school food, they're parents just sign the paper. I go to Schenectady High School and I know this for a fact. I dont think all of the above writers are actually the ones paying for it???
8:53 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
The district should do more to check the qualifications of each and every one that is getting a lunch for free or 25 cents. Putting the burden on everyone in these financial hard times seems more fair. Oh yeah I forgot, these are the times of Barack Obama.............SHARE THE WEALTH AROUND, but not the BURDEN!