BELLE — Middle and high school families in the Maries County R-2 School District will pay 10 cents more for school lunches beginning with the 2026-27 school year after the Board of Education approved the highest increase allowed by law during its June 30 meeting.

The increase raises the price of a student lunch from $2.10 to $2.20 for middle and high school learnerss. Elementary students will continue receiving free breakfast and lunch through 2028-29, funded through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) grant.

Superintendent Dr. Lenice Basham told the board the district had hoped to avoid raising lunch prices but determined an increase was necessary after completing the annual Paid Lunch Equity calculation required by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“We didn’t want to raise lunch prices, and we had really hoped that we were not going to have to,” Basham said. “Then we did the price index equivalency that we have to do every year, and we found we have to raise them an additional 10 cents for student meals.”

Basham said the district’s lunch prices remain well below the amount recommended under the state’s formula.

“They think it should be $4.10, and so we’re not near that,” she said. “We’re still significantly below.”

She explained that the state’s calculation is based on the previous year’s food service finances rather than the current year. Because the district paid for half of all student breakfasts during the 2024-25 school year, food service revenue was lower than normal, resulting in the recommendation for a price increase this year. Basham told the board that because the district expects a stronger financial performance during the current fiscal year, it should be in a better position moving forward.

Rather than immediately approving the increase, board members discussed whether the district should absorb the additional cost instead of passing it on to families.

Basham explained that if the board chose not to increase lunch prices, the district would be required to transfer money from another fund into the food service program to make up the difference.

“The alternative is that the district makes a transfer of funds into the lunch service program in the amount that we’re not raising,” Basham said.

Board members estimated the cost of covering the increase would be about $6,000. Board member Garret Bialczyk suggested the district could absorb that expense rather than asking families to pay more.

“We can scratch some cushions for that,” Bialczyk said. “That would be my thought, at least for another year. Times are tough right now.”

Basham said the district expects the food service program to finish the current fiscal year with a positive balance, which would allow the district to qualify for a waiver from the price increase requirement next year.

The discussion also focused on the long-term impact of delaying the increase. Board members questioned whether postponing the adjustment could result in a much larger increase in future years.

Basham explained that state regulations limit districts to increasing lunch prices by a maximum of 10 cents per year.

“We can legally only raise it 10 cents a year,” she said, adding that delaying small increases could force the district to absorb larger losses if costs continue to rise. She also explained that the state’s Paid Lunch Equity calculation considers only breakfast and lunch revenue, not revenue generated through snack sales that often help offset food service costs.

Basham added that the board needed to make its decision before free and reduced-price meal applications were mailed to families so the updated lunch price could be included with the back-to-school information.

Before the vote, board member Dawn Hicks who made the motion, said approving the increase now would provide the district with greater financial flexibility should it need to transfer funds into the food service program later.

Following the discussion, they voted 6-1, with board president Kenda Sanders against, to approve the increase and raise the price of middle and high school lunches to $2.20 beginning with the 2026-27 school year.