Price of school lunch going up by 25 cents for 2008 in Saugus

SAUGUS-The New Year will bring new prices for students who buy their lunch at school.Earlier this fall, School Committee member Frederick Doucette recommended that lunch prices be increased by 25 cents across the board and milk be increased by10 cents. Last week, the School Committee took him up on the idea.The driving force for increase is anticipated deficit in the food service account.School Department Finance Manager Richard Weeks said it’s imperative that revenue meets expenses and expenses go beyond buying food.Money earned through the lunch program also goes toward repairing equipment, such as the high school freezer that the School Department has been struggling to repair or replace for more than a year.Weeks has also pointed out that the company contracted to provide meals for the School Department gets paid whether financial goals are met or not.While a 25-cent increase doesn’t sound like a lot, School Committee members acknowledged that the increase would amount to $45 per year for each student purchasing a lunch. Families with multiple students in the program would likely feel the financial hit.Committee member Wendy Reed said she hopes the increase will encourage more families to take advantage of the free and reduced lunch program.”It’s a good program,” she said. “I wished more people used it.”The national program promises to provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. It was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by then President Harry Truman in 1946.Reed said eligibility guidelines, general information and applications are available at every school and she hopes parents check it out.The increase does not go into effect until Feb. 1, four years since the last increase was implemented.