Newspaper Page Text
LOCAL
CHAMPION!
Meal prices
by R. Scott Belzer
sbelzer@dekalbchamp.com
Students in the DeKalb County
School District (DCSD) can
expect to pay more for lunch at
the start of the 2016-2017 school
year with price increases coming
in the next three.
Beginning in 2016, elementary
students can expect to pay $2.25
while middle and high school
students can expect to pay $2.50.
This is an increase of 5 and 10
cents, respectively, from current
prices.
By the start of the 2017-2018
school year, elementary students
will pay $2.35 for lunch and $1.50
for breakfast, a 10 cent increase
in both areas. Middle and high
school students will pay $1.55 for
breakfast - a 5 cent increase -
while paying $2.60 for lunch, a 10
cent increase.
By the 2018-2019 school
year, elementary students will see
another increase in lunch to $2.40
while middle and high schoolers
will see a similar increase to
$2.70. No changes in breakfast
will be made at either level.
Adults who eat through
DCSD’s nutrition program, who
currently pay $3.20, can expect a
10 cent increase in lunch for the
next three years and an increase
from $1.90 to $2 for breakfast
during the 2017-2018 school year.
Snack prices across the board
will increase from 80 cents to
85 cents next year and will not
increase again until the 2018-2019
school year, when prices rise to
$0.90. Milk prices will remain at 65
April 28 - May 4, 2016 • Page 13A
to rise in DeKalb County schools
cents.
The “expected revenue to
be realized from the increase
at lunch” is $420,819.30 in the
first year, according to the item’s
agenda listing.
The three-year meal plan
was approved by DCSD’s Board
of Education during its regularly
scheduled monthly meeting.
Michael Bell, chief financial
officer for the division of finance,
as well as Joyce Wimberly,
school nutrition services director,
presented the item before the
board on its consent agenda
where it received a 4 to 1 vote,
with Stan Jester opposing,
Marshall Orson and Michael
Erwin absent.
Bell explained how DCSD
receives a $50 to 55 million federal
grant to provide school nutrition
functions. One of the requirements
of the grant, Bell said, is to not
have free or reduced meals paid
for by the grant, subsidize paid
meals. Wimberly and her staff
are responsible for creating an
“optimal price range” to stay within
these boundaries.
“We need to charge what it
costs to produce a ‘paid’ meal,”
Wimberly said. “The prices we
have outlined are very modest
in comparison to neighboring
districts.”
DCSD’s current meal prices
rank in the middle compared to
other school systems in the metro
Atlanta area. DeKalb has higher
prices than Douglas, Rockdale,
Henry and Cobb counties but
lower than Atlanta, Fayette, Fulton
and Gwinnett.
DeKalb currently has the third
most expensive breakfast after
Fayette ($1.45) and Gwinnett
($1.50) counties. Prices for
breakfast in nearby districts vary
from $0.75 (Atlanta) to $1.40
(Forsyth).
Bell said these school systems
will be going through the same
place adjustments process this
year.
“We don’t know where they’re
going, but [we’ve outlined] where
we think we have to go to in
relation to the federal regulation of
non-subsidization,” Bell said.
According to Wimberly,
increases in prices for school
meals stem from increases in
expenses and “other internal
variables” such as free and
reduced percentages and
contributions from the general
fund.
“We currently do not lower
prices,” Wimberly told Jester prior
to the April 18 meeting. “According
to federal regulations, this can
only be done if the board decides
to subsidize the program with
revenue from the general fund.”
According to DCSD school
nutrition budget documents
outlining the 2015-2016 fiscal
year, the district pays $60.7
million in expenses for school
nutrition and receives only $841
more in revenue.
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Nine seek Super
District 7 sea
Nine candidates have qualified for a special
election to replace former Super District 7
Commissioner Stan Watson who resigned to run for
the tax commissioner position.
The candidates include: Gregory Adams, a pastor
and former police officer; Diane Daniels Adoma,
owner of Diane Adoma Consulting LLC and H&R
Block franchise owner; George Chidi, a Pine Lake
city councilman; Faye Coffield, a private investigator
and former police sergeant, Jerome Edmondson,
business consultant and senior partner of Edmondson
Associates; Randal Mangham, an attorney and former
state representative;
Edward Patton, a real estate agent; Rita
Robinzine, a DeKalb County school teacher; and
John E. Tolbert Jr., an automotive dealer relationship
manager.
The super district seat represents the eastern half
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The special election will be held on Nov. 8 in
conjunction with the general election. If a runoff is
needed, it will be on Dec. 6.