It seems like yesterday that Region 15’s Board of Education announced the price of lunch in the district would be increasing. Despite this, it has only been three years, and due to the fluctuating economy, prices will go up again by 10 cents in January of 2011.

The four percent price increase was voted for by the Board of Education at a meeting on Monday, October 25th. Keith McLiverty, Director of Finance and Operation, is the chairperson of the subcommittee. He worked with Peter Brooks, Food Service Manager, to research and establish a plan for the changing lunch price. In a recent press release, McLiverty made informative statements regarding the reasoning behind the price increase. He stated, “The Food Service Department is self-supported and is not financed through the Board of Education. As such, it is imperative that the Food Service Department operates at a slight profit, not a loss. We have old equipment and are facing costly repairs and replacements and need funds to cover the expenses.”

According to Mr. Brooks and Mr. McLiverty, the prices of lunch are also increasing because of the increasing cost of living. As food gets more expensive, the more expensive it is to ship it, so therefore we need to pay more money to get healthy meals at school.

Though elementary school lunches will now be $2.40 and high school lunches will be $2.60, students will be eating healthier lunches at school, which can lead to healthier eating habits at home. A District Wellness board subcommittee recently studied Region 15’s food service reports, and recommended that an increase could be beneficial. Since the previous price increase, Region 15 introduced a Boar’s Head deli bar, which eliminated processed meat and gave the district more nutritious options. Fried foods and drinks with artificial flavoring were replaced with steamed fruits and vegetables, and improvements are yet to come.

A helpful comparison from the Board of Education displays the difference between an average PHS lunch and a meal that attracts teens outside of school. A chicken patty from Burger King contains 800 calories, 46 grams of fat, and 1649 mg of sodium, as opposed to a Pomperaug whole muscle patty, which has 280 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 640 mg of sodium. To the parents of Region 15 students: which meal would you rather see your child eat? 10 cents might be more costly, but it may make a substantial difference in your child’s wellbeing.