Posted on: Saturday, January 8, 2005

Reaction mixed over school meal price hike

By Treena Shapiro and Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writers

A Board of Education proposal to increase school lunch prices by 50 cents will likely be resisted by those who can least afford to pay.

For many families, an increase from $1 to $1.50 per lunch — or about an extra $10 per child per month — will have little impact. Others already couldn't afford $1 and receive free or reduced-price lunches — 20 cents each — from the federal government.

But some families that are not eligible for the discounted lunches worry about how they will come up with the extra money.

"That takes some meat off the table," said Maggie Chao, who will have to pay for three school lunches a day once she starts participating in an adult program at Ka'ahumanu Elementary School. "Three lunch tickets ... that's quite a lot."

Schools superintendent Pat Hamamoto said the increase is necessary to offset rising costs for wages and food, and to avoid going into debt to maintain the program. As a result, the BOE plans to ask the state Legislature for authority to raise lunch prices enough to recoup up to half the actual $3-per-lunch cost.

To cover some of its costs, the state relies on a subsidy from the U.S. Department of Agriculture school lunch program.

The state pays the rest.

Nationally, the USDA pays the states $2.24 for each free lunch, $1.84 for each reduced-price lunch but only 21 cents for each paid lunch. However, those reimbursements are higher in Hawai'i and Alaska.

Gene Kaneshiro, director of the School Food Services Branch for Hawai'i's public schools, said raising the price would not affect the free and reduced-price lunch program, which serves about one-third of Hawai'i's students.

Lunch prices in Hawai'i have not been raised since 2001, when they went from 75 cents to the current $1. Lawmakers have not always agreed to raising lunch prices, which is why the schools often go several years with no increase.

Elsewhere, many schools charge more for lunch, said Kaneshiro. A sampling of lunch prices showed that elementary school students in Manchester, Ind., pay $1.70 a day. In Half Moon Bay, Calif., lunch costs $3.25 a day, and in Bozeman, Mont., the price is $1.50. Many schools also charge more for older students.

Richard Loyd was armed with notes on Hawai'i Revised Statute 302A-405 when he picked up his children from Ka'ahumanu Elementary yesterday. "It says that the child will not pay more than one-third the cost of preparing the meal," he said.

He planned to bring the issue up at a school meeting last night, as well as going before the BOE to complain. "I do not think it is fair," he said. "They have not justified it to me."

Loyd does not think the reasons cited by the board — increased costs for food and employee wages — is justification for the increase, since the federal government also picks up a percentage of the cost.

Loyd thinks the price increase will hurt many families that need the extra $2.50 a child per week to meet their own budgets. "Anyway, the meals aren't that hot," he said. "The price should be going down."

Not everyone agreed that the price increase is unwarranted. At Kaimuki High School, many of the students said they didn't mind the additional price. Kaylee Hashimoto, 14, said, "I guess if we need to cover the cost of the lunch, then it's necessary."

However, Hashimoto said that if students have to pay more, she would rather it go to improvements at the school, such as new books.

Yesterday, the school offered students a choice of kalua turkey and cabbage, ham-and-cheese rolls or chicken stir-fry, along with side items such as pineapple wedges and tossed salad.

"I think the lunches are pretty decent for school lunches," she said.

Kaylee's mother, Donna, who will actually have to pay the difference, said, "I'm quite sure there was a reason why they're asking to raise the price, so I see no problem with it."

While the food itself met with little criticism, several students did complain about the size of the portions, arguing that if they have to pay more for lunch, then they should get more to eat.

Several students complained that the portions were too small, while one — who had only a ham-and-cheese roll and potato wedges drenched in cheese sauce on this tray — said he already pays $2 for lunch because he always has to go back and pay for seconds.

Freshman Marina Wilson, 14, said it's ridiculous to have to pay any more for a school lunch. "Usually the higher prices are for outside of school," she said. "At school we're already paying through taxes and fees."

In addition, she said, "Most of the food is good, but some of it is a little weird."

At Ka'ahumanu, parents of young students fretted that their children just waste their food anyway. "Sometimes they just buy it and throw it away," said Fanny Lui, who has two children at the school. "It's like throwing away money. They should just keep it at a dollar."

Aileen Wakayama, whose daughter gets a free lunch, said she feels for the parents facing an increase.

"If I had to pay, I would think it was very expensive for a school lunch every day," she said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at 525-8014 or tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com. Reach Robbie Dingeman at 535-2429 or rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.