MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Rutherford County School lunches are about to cost more because of inflation and because of an end to a federal program that was expanded in the face of a global pandemic.
The USDA announced that August will mark the end of the Seamless Summer Program that was expanded in June 2020. The program offered free meals to children over the summer.
New breakfast and lunch prices for the 2022-2023 school year will be:
- $2.00 for student breakfasts
- $2.50 for teacher/guest breakfasts
- $3.25 for elementary school student lunches
- $3.50 for middle and high school student lunches
- $4.25 for teacher/guest lunches
“The increase in meal prices is largely due to the dramatic increased cost in food, food prep, and cost of labor we are all seeing,” said Doug Bodary, assistant superintendent for Budget and Finance with RCS.
This is the first meal price adjustment since the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, according to Bodary.
All students are still encouraged to submit applications for a Free and Reduced Meal Program.
“Parents will want to work with their student’s school, even if they think they might not be qualified for free and reduced lunch, and put an application in,” Bodary said.
If an application is approved, a student's cafeteria manager will send a notification letter to the parent(s) who applied. This may take up to 10 working days.
