Lawrence school board members voted 6 to 1 Monday to raise student meal prices for the 2026-27 school year.
The increase will raise lunch prices by 15 cents and breakfast by 10 cents for most students. Breakfasts will cost $2.20 for elementary students, $2.30 for middle schoolers and $2.35 for high schoolers, and lunches will cost $3.25, $3.45 and $3.50, respectively.
District administrators said the increase is needed to help offset rising food, labor and supply costs while preserving the fund for operations.
Some board members pointed to broader policy challenges, including limited state and federal reimbursement rates and stalled efforts to expand universal free meals.
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“When universal meals are provided, children win, and families grow,” Superintendent Jeanice Swift said. She echoed comments from board members earlier in the meeting who said they plan to vote for state and county candidates who support fully funding public schools and special education.
Board member Matt Lancaster said he was shocked at how low reimbursement rates are for district meals in Kansas, an agricultural state, and he thinks advocacy is important.
“The answer can’t always come from inside the house,” he said.
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The district serves about 5,000 meals a day and more than 1 million reimbursable student breakfasts and lunches annually. The food service budget operates on roughly $6 million but has been under increasing financial pressure as the cost of food and ingredients continues to rise.
“We’re not trying to make a profit,” board Vice President Bob Byers said. “What we’re simply trying to do is break even.”
Still, some board members questioned the impact on families and whether the increase is the right short-term solution.
“I don’t know that this kind of stopgap solution is truly necessary,” Lancaster said, noting the estimated cost increase for families could total about $40 to $50 per student over a full school year.
The price increase will not apply to students who qualify for reduced-price meals. Reduced-price meals will remain at 40 cents for lunches and 30 cents for breakfasts, while meals for eligible students will remain free.
Adult breakfasts will increase to $3.20, and lunches will increase to $5.25.
Board members emphasized that rising costs — including increases in food and labor — are driving the need for higher prices.
“I don’t anticipate that we’re going to find a big magic cure that we haven’t already found that’s going to negate the need for this request,” Cynde Frick, executive director of finance for the district, said.
The district encourages more families to apply for free and reduced-price meals when enrollment opens in July.
Board President GR Gordon-Ross, Byers, and board members Carole Cadue-Blackwood, Yolanda Franklin, Kelly Jones and Shannon Kimball voted to approve the meal price increases; Lancaster voted against them.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
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