La Cañada Unified cafeteria prices scrutinized

With the 2015-16 La Cañada School District cafeteria costs exceeding revenues, the school board on Tuesday heard a proposal to increase the cost of lunch for elementary school students to $3.50 per meal and the cost for middle and high school students to $4.50 per meal.

In years prior the cafeteria services program has been running right on the line to breaking even, according to officials.

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No vote was taken this week and the board is expected to continue discussion. Currently, a lunch meal costs $3.25 at the elementary level and $4 for middle and high school students.

Mark Evans, chief business and operations officer, said the last meal increase occurred in 2012, and since then, food costs have increased, as have workers’ wages. There have also been increased costs for repairs and maintenance due to aging equipment. Evans added there is growing demand to use more environmentally friendly serving materials, and the district is working with its vendor to find options.

“One of our challenges was to make sure the cafeteria fund does not turn around from the general fund,” Evans said.

Evans said La Cañada receives very little federal funding from the National School Lunch Program due to its smaller population and, thus, having so few students on the free and reduced lunch program.

“Across the district, we have less than 15 students [on the program], so we don’t get a lot of resources,” he said.

Evans provided a cafeteria price comparison sheet comparing with school districts in Los Angeles County having a low pupil count using the program, including San Marino, La Virgenes, Beverly Hills, Palos Verdes, Oak Park and Manhattan Beach.

“We’d be in the neighborhood of where other districts are,” he said.

Matt Sanderson is a contributing writer.