Schools may cut food staff

Board again rejects meal price increase

Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy chatted with cafeteria workers at the Bruce School in Lawrence last year. Laboy had supported the increase in the price of school meals. (Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff/File 2007)

School officials in Lawrence say they may be forced to lay off some cafeteria workers next year, after the School Committee again rejected a proposed hike to the prices of school lunches for students.

Arguing that parents could not afford any increase, the majority of the school panel voted down a proposed 50-cent increase for student meals at its August meeting. The hike would have closed an anticipated $55,000 budget gap between expected costs and projected revenues, said Anne Marie Stronach, director of food services for Lawrence Public Schools.

Then last month, the School Committee, in a 4-3 vote, rejected the district's bid to raise student meal prices by 25 cents. Committee vice chairman Greg Morris said the hike would "unfairly penalize" the small number of students who don't receive any government assistance to pay for meals.

"If the raise would affect all [students], I would be all for it," said Morris, who was joined by fellow members Martina Cruz, Samuel Reyes, and James Vittorioso in voting against the measure.

About 84 percent of the district's 13,000 students are on the federal subsidized lunch program, and the vast majority of the district's meal revenue is derived from the $2.62 the US government reimburses Lawrence for each student meal. The 16 percent of students who do not qualify for the subsidy pay 75 cents per meal in elementary school and $1.25 in high school.

Other area school districts charge students on average $2.50 per meal. According to school officials, Lawrence has not raised its meal prices in 14 years.

School Committee member Peter Larocque, who favors a price increase, said students in the federal free and reduced lunch program are carrying the district's food department and are the reason the other students enjoy such a low-priced meal.

"We're talking 25 cents here, come on," said Larocque, who joined fellow committee members Priscilla Baez and Lawrence Mayor Michael J. Sullivan in supporting the hike. "We could have done that."

Last week, Stronach said no immediate layoffs of food workers are planned. But she said unless the district sees an increase in the price of meals soon, or more lunch subsidy money from the federal government, layoffs "are not out of the question."

"It's something we'll have to look at," she said.

Stronach said the district has not only been hit by rising food prices, but also rising healthcare and supply costs. "It's a combination of things," she said. "We're seeing increases from everything, like the cost of trash bags to more expensive repairs to equipment."

To help reduce costs immediately, Stronach said her department has cut hours for a number of its 125 lower-wage employees. The district also initiated a campaign to urge all parents to pay their children's meal bills.

"In the past, we had a cushion to help us out with the rising costs," she said. "We don't have that anymore. Twenty-five cents wasn't an answer to balance the budget. But it was a start."

The proposed price hike had the support of school Superintendent Wilfredo T. Laboy, who said he is hoping the School Committee would reconsider its vote soon. "Layoffs of some our lowest-paid workers won't help this community," he said. "It will only make things worse."

The increase issue cannot be brought up for a vote again for a year, unless a member who voted against it brings it up, according to board rules.

Morris said the district can find the $55,000 elsewhere to help close its gap.

"When you're talking about a $140 million budget, $55,000 is a drop in the bucket. You can find that anywhere," he said. "Take money out of [the School Committee's] budget. I'd be in favor of that."

Morris added that any increase would affect the city's large working-class population, whether families qualify for subsidized student meals or not.

Larocque disagreed. He said the small percentage of students who pay full price for student meals can afford a slight increase, despite what other committee members say.

"We're constantly telling our kids that they're poor and they can't afford this or that," Larocque said. "We've got to stop all this 'poor' stuff."

Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.