CONEJO VALLEY : School Lunch Price Increase Considered

The Conejo Valley school board will decide Thursday whether to increase school lunch prices to offset a shortfall in the food service budget for the 1994-95 school year.

If approved, elementary school lunch prices would increase 5 cents to $1.65, and junior high and high school lunch prices would increase 25 cents to $2.25.

The proposed increase would not affect free and reduced meals that are government funded.

The larger price increase at the junior highs and high schools is attributed to larger meal portions and students’ requests for lunches from Taco Bell and other eateries, district officials explained.

Conejo Valley Unified School District officials, who have not raised meal prices in three years, said they tried to avoid asking for an increase but ongoing budget constraints forced the request.

“We have been running in the red and our expenses have gone up in the last few years,” Food Services Director Connie Noggle said Tuesday.

“We have tried to hold off, we know the area has been in a recession.”

Increasing food and operational costs combined with a decrease in federal reimbursement have contributed to the budget shortfall, district officials said.

To help offset the price hike for parents, the district intends to offer meal ticket packages at a discount.

A block of 20 meal tickets for elementary school lunches would cost $30, or $1.50 per meal, while 20 tickets for junior high and high school lunches would cost $40, or $2 per meal.

District officials hope the discount will encourage parents to buy prepaid meals, which would ideally result in more children buying school lunches.