BEATRICE – Beatrice Public Schools will put in place a small increase in the cost of breakfast and lunch, this coming school year. The Board of Education Monday night enacted an across-the-board ten-cent increase.


"Last year, if you look at the document attached, we increased the prices by ten cents. This year we are needing to increase the prices by ten cents as well, to continue to maintain our growth." Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jackie Nielsen says districts make use of a meal equity tool established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in computing where the district needs to be in what it charges, and to help the lunch program stay in the black.


Nielsen says the district has adopted an approach to gradually increase the price for breakfast and lunch.
"If we chose to not increase, we could do that. But, then what would happen is we would start increasing by 20-cents, by 30-cents, by 50-cents in one year. I would rather do small, incremental raises because that tends to make sense. Your free and reduced lunch prices stay the same. Milk stays the same, as well."


Nielsen says none of the buildings in the district qualify for a Community Eligibility Program, because less than 40-percent of students are certified to receive assistance through other food programs.
Nielsen says this past year, Beatrice Public Schools received about $3,200 in private donations to support school lunches.


"We have a ten thousand dollar shortfall, so we are still right around 68 hundred dollars short. Taking donations for the lunch program is absolutely vital, to us continuing to help families."


Superintendent Jason Alexander says BPS has always been able to feed every student.
"Even if it meant having a deficit, and then coming back and trying to seek out donations to try to help cover that cost. That's just an important thing I think everyone knows that we've never told a kid, you can't eat today....or prepared a different lunch for them, or whatever. We've always fed every student."


At the elementary level, the district sees about 65-percent of families apply for free-and-reduced price lunches.


Beatrice elementary students will pay $2.60 cents and $3.35 for breakfast and lunch this coming year. Preschoolers are at $2.60 per meal…while grades six through twelve will pay $2.60 and $3.50 for breakfast and lunch. Adult prices for breakfast and lunch will be $2.95 and $4.80.


At Monday night’s school board meeting, approval was given to replace a walk-in cooler and freezer at the Beatrice Middle School. Tech Masters will provide the equipment at a cost of $24,322.


The district named as its’ Business of the Month...Keep Beatrice Beautiful and Director Ashley Hawks….for their role in the tree planting ceremony activities at the Beatrice Elementary School and for their partnership in other environmental education and assistance at the public schools.