The Brownwood ISD school board approved a mandated increase on school lunch prices for students who pay full price for lunch for the next school year.

Elementary lunch prices will increase from $2.10 to $2.25 and the secondary (grades 7-12) lunch price will increase from $2.35 to $2.50.  The price increase will cost the average student who eats every meal in the cafeteria about $26 more per year for lunch.

“You look at $2.50 for a lunch versus what they pay anywhere else in town and that’s still a bargain,” said Steve Locke, the School Nutrition Director for Brownwood ISD

District officials said Monday night that the National School Lunch Program requires annual revisions to the lunch prices, and the prices increases are calculated by the federal “Price Adjustment Calculator.”

The price increases will not affect free or reduced lunch students.   Officials said that the price increase will impact about 35% of students who pay full price for lunch.

Locke said that the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 will start having a significant effect on the types of foods being served in Brownwood schools next year.   Changes to food include an emphasis on whole grains in place of refined and enriched grains. Locke says this will increase costs slightly for bread, pizza dough, tortillas, etc. The whole grains will also create a different taste in most foods. “We have already started using more whole grains where possible in our cafeterias and have added a full-time baker so that we can formulate our own recipes,” noted Locke. The new law required 51% whole grain content in half of the breads used in 2012-13. Beginning on July 1, 2014, all bread products must have a majority of whole grain content.

In addition, more fruits and vegetables will be heading to the breakfast and lunch plates of school children. Although Texas was ahead of the rest of the nation in increasing fruits and vegetables, the new regulation adds new categories and requirements at lunch for red/orange vegetables, dark green vegetables and legumes. Breakfast will see big changes too with a larger amount of fruit required, beginning in the 2014-15 school year.

Other changes dictate that the required size of meat servings be more age specific than before. Calories in the school menu will be counted and must stay within minimum and maximum levels. Lower sodium levels will also be phased in over a period of ten years.

Other action taken by Brownwood ISD school board Monday night:

*The school board approved the Instruction Materials Allotment and TEKS Certification for grades K-12 for 2013-2014.

*The board approved naming the Deputy Superintendent as Official Records Manager and will stay with that position and not the employee.

*The school board approved a bid by Gandy’s Dairy as the milk and juice provider for next school year.

*The school board approved a bid by SYSCO of West Texas as the grocery provider for next school year.

*The school board approved extending the deposit contract to TexasBank for an additional two years.