Fife School District continues to deal with rising prices

By Matt Nagle

Fife Free Press
mattnagle@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: July 31, 2008

Starting this September, students in the Fife School District who buy their meals at school will need to bring a little extra money with them. In an effort to continue dealing with high fuel prices, the Fife School Board agreed at its regular meeting June 28 to increase student meal prices by 50 cents to help cover budget shortfalls in transportation costs. This will only affect students paying full price for lunch. The free and reduced meal program will not be affected.

The new prices are as follows: all breakfasts will increase from $1.50 to $2; elementary school lunches will go from $2.25 to $2.75; middle school, junior high and high school lunches will go from $2.50 to $3; adult breakfast will increase from $2 to $2.50 and lunch from $3 to $3.50.

“This can all be traced back to fuel costs,” said Superintendent Steve McCammon, noting that the district has very few ways to raise revenue, which led to the slight increase in the price for a school lunch.

He explained that about two months ago, the district made a budget forecast and looked into what could be done to help control the shortfall. He also addressed this issue in the June 19 edition of “The Vision,” the district’s monthly page published in the Fife Free Press and Milton Edgewood Signal. McCammon wrote: “Our fuel costs and food costs are projected to increase by 32 percent and 17 percent respectively. These two increases alone amount to nearly $130,000 of additional expense and are certainly impacted by an underfunding in special education and transportation across the state.”

With the district being unable to reclaim any of the funds expended for more expensive fuel, McCammon said the best way to cover the costs is to increase meal prices. “We think it’s a fair way to recoup transportations costs.”

Rising food prices are also playing into the district’s budget concerns. Chuck Ziara, executive director of classified personnel and food services, said he’s been in the business of feeding students for 35 years and has never seen such price increases in food year after year. He expressed pride in the fact that Fife’s lunch program has operated self-sufficiently. However, “without this increase we will no longer be self-sufficient,” he said. “We would have to dip into the [district’s] general fund.”

Board president Bob Scheidt said he believes the price increase is fair. “It’s not an exorbitant amount of money,” he said. “It’s no secret food and fuel prices are rising.”

Board member Bruce Burnside agreed. “Somebody has to step up and be real about this stuff.”

Ziara noted that milk prices would remain the same at 40 cents a carton, and he intends to keep it that way as best he can. “It’s a personal thing with me,” Ziara said. “I want to see the kids drinking milk.”

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