NeelyvilleR-IV board discusses breakfast, lunch prices

The Neelyville R-IV school board tabled a recommendation to increase the cost for meals by 25 cents each after approving a renewal for the district’s current vendor during its Thursday evening meeting.

Superintendent Debra Parish said the district currently charges 50 cents for K-12 breakfasts and 75 cents for adult breakfasts.

For lunch, K-6 currently pay $1.85, 7-12 pay $2 and adults pay $2.60. Prices last were raised by 10 cents per meal starting in the 2017-18 school year.

The district also receives state funding for the meal program.

For breakfast, it receives $2.20 for students on free meals, $1.90 for students on reduced meals and 31 cents for students who pay. Likewise, for lunch it receives $3.50, $3.10 and 41 cents respectively.

Parish said the proposed increase would cause an expected revenue gain of $14,806.

For the 2018-19 school year, the meal program cost the district $550,669, and the revenue from it was $277,418.

The board expressed concern about the size of the increase and “the difficulties it would present on many families, especially during this time,” Parish said.

As a result, the board tabled the issue until they see the economic impacts of COVID-19.

The district currently uses Opaa! Food Management Inc. for food services.

Parish said the district pays Opaa $2.62 for each breakfast served and $3.15 for each lunch served, Parish said.

The board voted 4-2 to approve the fourth renewal of its contract with Opaa, which is the last one before the service needs to go out for bid. The renewal is for one year.

“Some board members would like for us to ‘run our own meal program,’” Parish said. “This, in addition to vendor options, will be explored in the upcoming months.”

Meal services currently are being offered to students at no charge during the COVID-19 break every week day.

On average, 38 meals a day are picked up at the Neelyville campus and 40 meals at the Hillview campus.

Parish said the district and Opaa are exploring programs to offer meals for students during the summer.