Fewer students buying school lunches

By Calvin Hennick, Globe Correspondent

School lunch participation is down from last year among Newton middle- and high-school students, according to a School Committee report that suggests a weak economy may be affecting students' willingness to pay for the meals.

The ;unches cost $3.25 for middle-school students and $3.50 for high-school students. The number of students approved for free lunch has gone up since last year.

"Maybe instead of buying lunch five days a week, you brown bag it a couple of days a week,” said Marc Laredo, chairman of the School Committee, explaining the decrease.

The number of middle-school lunches served is down 8 percent from last year, and high-school lunches are down 15 percent.

Laredo said that, while the district has subsidized school lunch for years, the program loses even more money when students stop participating because of fixed costs like employee salaries.

“It’s always an issue when kids aren’t participating in the program,” Laredo said.

A School Committee subcommittee is studying the program’s finances, and will release its findings May 11, Laredo said.

The report also showed that Newton North High School, which will soon be replaced, has required more than twice as many repairs as Newton South this year. Newton North has had 501 repair jobs completed since last July, mostly to its electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling systems.

“We have an obligation to keep that school running properly,” Laredo said. “Obviously it’s disappointing to put any money into a building we’re not going to be using much longer.”