THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEEK OF APRIL 20, 2008

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Cost of Lunch Going Up?

The price for lunch in Glenview Elementary Dist 34 schools may soon be going up.

The district Finance Committee discussed the price of school lunches at their Thursday, Apr. 17 meeting.

The school board, before a recent spike in food and fuel costs, set fees but revisited the cost of a school lunch due to increasing prices.

Dist. 34 Finance Committee and school board member Julie Shechtman said the school lunch program is currently operating at a slight loss.

"We're not feeling it as much as some," she said. Shechtman added school departments, like the lunch program, are generally expected to be financially self-sustaining.

Dist. 34 Executive Director of Business Services Robert Vincenti said a 5% increase in lunch prices, amounting to a $0.10 increase in the cost of a lunch, would fix the deficit. He said he might recommend that increase to the board.

The $1.2 million food program is currently $30,000 to $40,000 in the red. Vincenti said the price of milk has seen the greatest increase in cost this school year of 7%, but said other foods have increased in price as well.

Shechtman said discussions are very preliminary and no amount of increase has even been discussed.