St. Charles school board approves menu price hikes in all cafeterias

ST. CHARLES – St. Charles School District 303 students and faculty in all schools will pay more for school lunches in cafeterias next school year.

The school board approved price increases for the 2023-24 school year by unanimous vote without discussion at Monday night’s meeting.

According to the recommendation submitted by Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Justin Attaway, the school district’s food service vendors Organic Life and Quest are raising the prices on a la carte items because of rising costs from food suppliers.

Organic Life, the district’s K-8 food service vendor, is proposing price increases ranging from 10 cents to 75 cents, a 4% increase. The high school cafeteria vendor Quest also is raising prices, with increases ranging from five cents to 40 cents.

The increase was introduced and discussed during an April 24 Business Services Committee meeting. At the May 25 meeting, the committee did not ask further questions about the increase but reached consensus to bring the item back for a vote at Monday night’s meeting.

Quest covers all costs in its lunch program, supplies the food and collects all profits, then pays the school district a 7.5% commission on all sales.

The board also approved the renewal of its annual contract with Organic Life. This is the final year of the Organic Life contract and the district will begin soliciting proposals from alternative K-8 meal service vendors this fall for the 2024-25 school year.

Through the child nutrition program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the district provides free or reduced priced lunches to K-8 students from low-income households.