Title: Public Schools Face the Rising Costs of Serving Lunch - The New York Times
Headings: Public Schools Face the Rising Costs of Serving Lunch
Public Schools Face the Rising Costs of Serving Lunch
Content: The mandatory increases in meal prices are “a recognition that over time, the money coming in to schools from the sale of paid meals has not kept pace with the cost of preparing those meals,” said Kevin Concannon, under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services at the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the school meal program. “ The consideration here is the transition and giving school districts time to make the adjustments that they need to serve healthier meals to all our kids.” But Eric Goldstein, who oversees the New York City schools’ food program, said the law “misses the point.” Price increases threaten to upend the delicate balance of school food operations, Mr. Goldstein said, as they might compel more parents to pack their children’s lunches or to skip on paying cafeteria lunch fees altogether — already a huge problem, with the city absorbing $42 million in unpaid fees since 2004. Mr. Concannon, of the Agriculture Department, said the bill “seeks to ensure that the level of support for all school meals is equal.” Mr. Goldstein said the goal was “unrealistic.” Image
But Eric Goldstein, who oversees the city schools' food program, said price increases threatened to upend the delicate balance of school food operations. Credit...
Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
“We want to serve the same food for everyone, in the same cafeteria, to have everyone eating together,” Mr. Goldstein said. “ It shouldn’t be that we have to say, this is for this child, and this is for that child, and here’s money to pay for this and here’s money for that.” Then, there is the financial burden that higher meal prices would carry for families whose income lies just above the cutoff line for reduced-price lunches, for which schools can charge no more than 40 cents. (