Sarasota School Board approves meal price increase amid rising supply costs, inflation

Herald Tribune | By Steven Walker | August 7, 2024

Breakfast and lunch prices are going up in Sarasota County schools this year, after a district School Board vote Tuesday.

The increase accounts for rising supply-chain costs and accommodates losses of federal COVID-19 funding. The district anticipates $770,000 in additional revenues from the increase, according to district figures.

Breakfast prices will rise from $1.50 in elementary schools and $2 in middle and high schools to $2.25 across all grade levels. Lunch prices will increase from $2.75 in elementary schools, $3 in middle school and $3.25 in high school to $3.25 in elementary school and $3.75 in middle and high schools.

Board member Bridget Ziegler said the district exhausted all of its options to combat increasing prices and praised the nutrition team for working tirelessly to hold down costs. She said the food and nutrition department operates like a business, unlike many district departments.

“Extraordinary effort has been put forward to exhaust all of those options,” Ziegler said. “I think this agenda actually will demonstrate our commitment to our community.”

Kindergarten students line up for lunch at Bay Haven School of Basic Plus in Sarasota

Board member Tom Edwards urged parents to apply for the free and reduced lunch program and emphasized that if a family’s situation changes throughout the year, they can still apply for the program. The board expressed regret over the increases, but each member reiterated that they will ensure no Sarasota County student goes hungry.

“None of us up here want any child to be embarrassed and to suffer and to not have food,” said board member Robyn Marinelli.

New public comment policy starts

In the first meeting under a new public comment policy, many who rose to speak on agenda items urged the board not to approve the meal price increases. The new comment policy divided public comment time into an agenda-based section before board votes and a general comment time after votes.

The change followed several five-hour-long meetings with lengthy public comment times, which some board members criticized as a distraction for the district.

Edwards complimented the speakers following public comment, saying they were “professional” and several fellow board members nodded in agreement.

Lillian Williamson, a sophomore at Booker High School, said the meal price increases only serve to harm students at risk of poverty.

“It is not just 75 cents, it is more,” she said. “It is a promising education being ripped away from students because they cannot focus in schools when they are starving.”

Sebastian Martinez, a Booker High graduate, echoed the sentiment against raising the prices. He conceded that it might be the district’s only recourse due to increasing costs, but asked board members to engage the community on meal insecurity.

Several speakers pointed to the district’s affluence and high level of community engagement as reason the district shouldn’t raise prices. Zander Moricz, founder of the SEE Alliance and Pine View alumnus, said the district shouldn’t make the county’s working families bear the brunt of price increases.

India Miller, an activist who speaks regularly at meetings, said the district should look into other funding methods instead of engaging in “frivolous lawsuits.”

“You can’t have a walk down the street without seeing some sort of supercar. Our houses are millions of dollars. The fact that we’re even addressing raising school lunch prices for a lot of our students that can’t afford them seems just really sad,” she said.

Another decision Tuesday solidified an agreement between the district and Schoolhouse Link/Safe Children Coalition to provide aid to homeless families and students in Sarasota County. The agreement helps more than 350 families each year, according to the district.

Tropical Storm Debby

As the district prepares for school to resume on Monday, Aug. 12, some schools sustained minor roofing damage from Tropical Storm Debby. However, there was no significant damage to the district’s facilities, Superintendent Terry Connor said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Some schools, such as Mcintosh Middle School, were inaccessible due to flooding, Connor said. But district staff and teachers were able to work remotely as teachers, staff and administrators ramp up for students.

It is unclear how many students and teachers in the district were affected by damage from the storm.