Price of School Lunches Expected to Increase in Baldwin-Whitehall
Also, premium lunches could be eliminated to avoid seeing a 'class system in the cafeteria.'
Photos
Dr. Randal A. Lutz recommended a 10-cent price increase for school lunches at both the elementary and secondary levels as one of the first official recommendations that he's made as the new superintendent of the Baldwin-Whitehall School District.
Lutz suggested the increase on Wednesday night at the first B-W School Board meeting of the 2012-13 academic year. Included in his recommendation is a call for the elimination of premium lunches in district cafeterias.
Lutz explained that the moves stem from budgetary concerns as outlined by the district's Food Service Director Tammy Caponi and from higher-level restrictions being placed on free/reduced lunch programs.
Caponi's research was made available to school board members but not to the general public. And though an official vote on the administration's recommendation won't come until the next board meeting at the earliest, her research was seemingly enough to satisfy the board members.
"After reading all of her explanation," board member George L. Pry said, "I'm actually surprised it's only going up 10 cents.
"We've been watching food costs these past few months, and wait 'til we see next year's numbers with the droughts this year."
Lutz explained that the move to rid the district of premium lunches stems from the elimination of what the district can get reimbursed for in its free/reduced lunch program.
"The long and short of it is that premium lunches will no longer count for reimbursement (from higher levels of government)," he said.
That would cause some students in the district's free/reduced lunch program to have to settle for standard lunches while others opt for the larger, more expensive premium ones, Lutz said.
"It's basically going to create a class system in the cafeteria that we have fought hard to move away from," he said. "Until we are a cashless system, Mrs. Caponi doesn't see any way that we can set up a system where premium lunches can still be offered and the student population is not aware of who are the haves and the have-nots."
Board member Nancy Sciulli DiNardo supported the elimination of premium lunches based on that rationale.
"I'm not in support of anything or any way where a child walks into a room and he can be discriminated against or teased in any way because they're getting something more or less than someone else," Sciulli DiNardo said.
Lutz suggested increasing the amount of items to be offered for all students on the district's a la carte menu as a way to accommodate those who want more than a standard lunch.
"There's still choices," he said.
Check back with the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch later on Thursday for more odds and ends from Wednesday night's school board meeting, including information regarding extracurricular activities eligibility, theater arts, alternative education and more.
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Henry S.
12:57 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
"That would cause some students in the free/freduced lunch program to have to settle for standard lunches while others opt for the larger, more expensive premium ones" ...
What are the premium lunches? How do they differ from the standard lunches? When my kids were students in the district we paid for their lunches each and every day. We probably could have qualified for the reduced/free lunches but chose not to as we choose not to take any assistance. That is just our way.
My kids were given enough money each day to buy them the plate lunch. If they wanted anything extra it came out of their allowance or their own money. I do not believe they ever got the premium lunches .. they got what we could afford and pay for ourselves.
Why did the superintendent word it as "settle" for the standard lunches. What is wrong with the "standard" lunches? If the "standard" lunches are okay and adequate for our kids who are paying for their lunches, why aren't they adequate for those who are getting them at reduced or free prices? I am not criticizing anyone for needing the help to make sure that their children get a good meal at school, especially because that is probably the only good meal a lot of them will get on a daily basis. I am just wondering why our superintendent feels they are "settling" for what other kids get and I am assuming are satisfied with.
Robert Edward Healy, III
1:19 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Henry S.,
The word "settle" is not a quote in the above story but a paraphrase. I phrased it that way to express Dr. Lutz's point that some students on the free/reduced lunch program wouldn't be able to get the premium (larger) lunch while some others not on the program would be able to.
Lutz was saying, and this is a quote, that that would "create a class system in the cafeteria."
Henry S.
1:00 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
I am well aware of the bullying and teasing kids get in school, especially when others find out that they are receiving help to pay for their lunches/breakfast, etc. That should never be tolerated.
What is the difference in the premium lunch and standard lunch. And, if a student has the means to purchase more than a standard lunch, he/she should be able to do so without being penalized for his/her ability to afford to do so.
Robert Edward Healy, III
1:17 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
The premium is larger and more expensive.
Jo M.
7:15 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
"That would cause some students in the district's free/reduced lunch program to have to settle for standard lunches while others opt for the larger, more expensive premium ones, Lutz said."
Call it what you want....class system or what ever but the bottom line is that now my kid who pays for his lunch will not be able to get a premium lunch because "johnny" who gets a free lunch might feel bad. But now under the new system "johnny" will get a better lunch still "FREE" to him because my son will have to pay more to cover "johnny's"
BRUTUS
7:23 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
NO, Johnny will still get the standard lunch, as will everyone else, and they all can supplement that from the a la carte menu if they want to do so. In effect, creating their own premium plate.
Your increased cost of ten cents is due to food and associated costs rising, not to give poor Johnny anything more than he had before.
cc
2:05 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Jo M, that is not true at all. Welfare pays for free lunches and doesn't come out of the money that you pay for your child meal. Hopefully this year at school they will have enough food for the students in the 3rd lunch period.
cc
2:10 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Brutus that is correct lunches are going up because of the price of food not because others get free lunches. Welfare pays for the free lunches and not the money that Johnny's parents pay. My daughter ate off the a la carte last year as that was the only food that was left in 3rd lunch period.
Jo M.
7:33 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
cc I understand that welfare pays for the free lunch. You must not have read my other comment below. Also if welfare pays for the free lunch then we the tax payers are paying for it so really not a free lunch.
cc
9:06 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
I know we as tax payers are paying for their breakfast/lunch. There not taking money from one student to pay for another students food.
Jo M.
7:17 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
I used FREE in quotes because someone is paying for it and that is what some people don't seem to get.
Jo M.
7:34 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Brutus, you are acting like the lunches will be exactly the same as before and that they are just changing the wording. I will bet under the new system the standard lunch that will be available to everyone and that will be the "FREE" lunch will be better than before with more items. That is where the increased food cost will come from.
cc
12:17 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
JO M, I talked to someone on the board last night at Castle Shannon's Carnival about school lunches. The standard lunch will be the exact same as last year only going up 10 cents. The premium lunch won't be offered but children will still have the option of buying from the a la carte menu. They are not getting rid of the Salad Bar (sell per pound), Panini Grill, Deli, The Pizzeria, The Grill, and Specialty Grill. The only bar that the students that get free lunches won't be able to use is the Salad bar because of how it is priced. But they do offer side salads to these students every day. The only thing the school is doing away with is the Premium Lunch and if they want to purchase more food then they can buy a la carte. She also said to go look on the schools website and you can check out what serve at the different food bars at the school. They just don't have the daily menu on their yet. http://baldwin.pa.schoolwebpages.com/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=TUVOVV9VQlVfQ09NUExFVEVfTUVOVVMucGRmOjo6L3d3dzcvc2Nob29scy9wYS9iYWxkd2luL2ltYWdlcy9kb2NtZ3IvMTQ5X2ZpbGVfNTQ2X21vZF8xMzEzMDczMzg2LnBkZg==§iondetailid=837
BRUTUS
7:48 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Well, you can bet if you want, but the information says nothing of the kind.
cc
2:13 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Brutus agree. They did not say that more items was being added to the standard lunch in the article.
Jenifer Sabo
8:11 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
I agree that secondary to the cost of living prices are rising everywhere but not the quality. I have a hard time paying more for a lunch that my kids will throw away b/c it's cold, hard, etc:(
JOJO
9:21 am on Friday, August 3, 2012
WELFARE PAYS FOR FREE LUNCH, IT IS NOT "FREE" BY ANY MEANS!!!!
cc
1:07 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
The FDA pays for these free lunches which was started under Harry Truman in 1946 during the depression. In Pennsylvania the reimbursement rate for free lunches from the FDA in 2012-2013 will be $2.77 per lunch to each school district in the state.. This year lunches at the Elementary Schools will be $1.70, Harrison Middle School and High School will be $1.95. Specialty Lunches will cost up to $2.70 per plate, which is still cheaper than the reimbursement rate that they are getting from the FDA. The school will make $0.82 High School and $1.07 Elementary School per free lunch that they serve. School Districts make more of a profit off of free lunches then the children that are paying for their own lunches. If we lived in Upper St Clair, Peters Township or Mt Lebanon we would be paying $2.70 to $3.60 per lunch every day and we should be thankful for all the free lunches that our school serves so that were all not paying higher prices for school lunches for our children. If you make under: then you are entitled to either free or reduced price lunches.
$69,616 - 7 people
$55,482 - 6 people
$48,414 - 5 people
$41,348 - 4 people
$34,281 -3 people
$27,214 - 2 people
There are many families in our school district that if their children did not get these free breakfast and lunches then these children wouldn't eat every day.
20 Year Resident of Baldwin/Whitehall
10:34 am on Friday, August 3, 2012
Are we really belly-aching on here about who pays for a needy child to eat? God help us all.... Randy Lutz is an exceptional man who wants to see every child succeed. Part of that means removing the stigma of being a needy child. I applaud his insight into matters that involve these children beyond the curriculum.
JustMe
6:59 pm on Friday, August 3, 2012
Lutz might care about what they eat but he sure doesn't care about their education.
Billee
10:49 am on Saturday, August 4, 2012
In ALL cases of Baldwin Whitehall school district - transition will take a period of time to properly unfold into the 21st century if your going to do it wisely. I see our district reaching for goals... however at times not easily seen by the general public because of the many different rules and or styles of individual engagement of involvement the public wants to implement. School funding has been reduced and costs of many goods and services have increased. I'm surprised myself but at the same time thankful that the requested and or recommended increase of school lunches was only was only ten cents.
cc
1:20 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
Billie what goals does our school administration and school board have to bring up our ratings? Making a $20,000 DVD is not one of them to bring families into the district. Nor is cutting the Technology budget. All the other school districts around us are open with the parents of students and don't hide behind closed doors. Baldwin isn't the only district in Pennsylvania that had its Federal and State funds cut and other schools are bringing up their ratings. Baldwins ratings keep on dropping and we use to be a top notch school district in Pennsylvania. At one time it was very hard to purchase a home in Baldwin/Whitehall because they would be sold within a few days of being placed on the market. Lunches are only going up 10 cents because of the price of food and we can thank all of the families that get free breakfast/lunches as they put more money into the school lunch program then the parents that pay.
Billee
12:28 am on Sunday, August 5, 2012
2014 - If I'm not in error is when the new strategic academic plan should be implemented into daily ongoing practice and presented for public review. I'm sure there was an onsite in house mid cycle review of our current plan. However maybe it wasn't updated for public view and or discussed by the board or administration because maybe their top priority was replacing crucial staff that were needed before our goal improvements could continue with all involved parties (stakeholders) ? I know times have changed and our school district has many challenges...however if we challenge ourselves to learn to focus on our strengths in most cases our weaknesses heal themselves. Baldwin Whitehall is where we live...as they say in the movie of Toy Story - " Someones poisoned the waterhole " I know it's not easy at times but please think before you speak because we all have to drink from the same waterhole!
Billee
11:16 am on Saturday, August 4, 2012
My other comment above this one is pending approval so my comment now may not make much sense however we already have a cashless system for school lunches - biometric finger scan. It protects the class identity of students and can cut cost and time. . Some states have Child and Protection identity laws which prevent use of cashless systems. However if used with good intentions...most efficient. I wonder if all students will be receiving Bio Signature ID for our online registration process and possible online courses at Baldwin Whitehall school district in the future?
cc
9:17 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012
This system isn't used at the high school or middle school, the students punch in their id number.
Billee
11:25 am on Saturday, August 4, 2012
I see our district reaching for goals... however at times these are not easily seen by the general public because of the many different rules and or styles of individual engagement of involvement the public wants to implement. School funding has been reduced and costs of many goods and services have increased. I'm surprised myself but, at the same time thankful that the requested and or recommended increase of school lunches was only ten cents.
cc
9:44 am on Sunday, August 5, 2012
Billie you can thank the children that get free lunches for keeping the cost of lunches down to 10 cents. You say changes are coming in 2014, what about the students that are at the school now, don't they deserve the best education. Making Dean of Sports isn't a change I wanted to see. The school should of never cut the Technology Budget, they should of increased it. Our kids are so far behind others when they go to CCAC that they have to take high school classes that they don't get credits for before they can take college courses. My nephew goes to Bethel Park and my child is in Baldwin, and they more advanced then us in teaching. We need a new Administration and School Board.
20 Year Resident of Baldwin/Whitehall
1:36 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
cc, thank you for the post on free/reduced price lunches. Facts such as those help keep us all informed, which make us better decision-makers.
cc
1:46 pm on Sunday, August 5, 2012
20 Year Resident of Baldwin/Whitehall, you are so welcome. I was really upset when people were slamming the ones that got free lunches. When I started researching this yesterday at I was actually shocked that these free lunches that children get actually benefit the parents that have to pay for their child/children lunches. I don't ever want to see any child go hungry.
Common Sense
9:26 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
We live in a world of entitlements. I won't get into people creating an uproar over children getting free lunch at school. As mentioned before, no child should go hungry and the unfortunate truth is that some students only eat when they are at school.
Dr. Lutz is a Baldwin man who has lived within the community his entire life and has children who go to the school district. Give him a chance and to say he doesn't care about education is just a stupid statement.
As for the lunch choice and quality, I have a simple solution. If you don't like the food or quality of the food or the price of the food, pack your child's lunch! Problem solved!
SchoolTaxpayer
12:59 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
I live in the school district. I pay school taxes just like anyone else who owns a home and/or property in this district. And we do pay high school taxes, no question. I have kids who went through the district. My youngest graduated just last year. My husband and I paid each and every day for our kids to buy their lunches. They paid with cash each day as we NEVER put money into an account for them. But, somehow two years in a row I got a letter from the district telling me that I owed over $30,00 each on my child's (I had two at a time in the HS) account because it had gone overdrawn. I never even put money into an account and my kids never even used an account. They paid with cash. I informed the district about this and they told me I had to pay it PERIOD. So, I think I actually helped to pay for other lunches. I would have no problem with helping to pay for other kids lunches. I remember when my kids started at McAnnulty years ago and we were asked to provide breakfast snacks for those who came to school hungry for whatever reasons. I had no problem with that either and donated generously. No one wants to see children go hungry. You wonder what the reasons are. If parents are too lazy to feed their children, shame on them. If they do not have the food, there are places to go for help.
cc
5:13 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
School Taxpayer, your children aren't the only one that owed the school money for lunches I was putting 75 a month on my child account and would get emails that my child account was over drawn a week before the end of the month. I would go onto Skype and look at the section for the cafe and some days was charged for 4-5 lunches.
When I called the school they always blamed it on computer error and had no problem getting it corrected.
cc
5:19 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
It isn't just the Bosnian kids that drive new cars and get free lunches. They come in all shapes and colors. People like to cheat the system and we the tax payers are paying for it.
Robert Edward Healy, III
8:37 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
From "SchoolTaxpayer" (edited by me):
What I do have a problem with are the students who are getting the free and/or reduced price lunches/breakfasts at the high school and then going out to the student parking lot and getting into a newer nicer car than what I am presently driving and struggling to pay the taxes to help give those kids their free food.
And no, I am not a racist. And yes, I do want to help people and I do because I volunteer at the food bank and other charities as well as give what I can.
My sons would tell me how (some) kids would laugh and think how wonderful it was that they were getting everything for free, especially vehicles. And I would hear it from their friends as well. And no, they are not jealous. My kids have worked all during high school and earn everything they spend. So don't go there.
But something has to change. If these families have the money for new cars, and we are talking pretty nice vehicles, why are we giving them free food, etc.
This system needs to overhauling.