Ongoing changes within the school’s lunch program continue to impact prices and income available to the school. At the beginning of this school year, U-High received 5-15% of the sales made in the student store. However, on Dec. 1, 2023, ISU Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality (EMDH) announced a change. Principal Andrea Markert was informed that EMDH will now rent the space that hosts the student store and the price will be determined by the square footage, significantly reducing the income U-High receives from the student store.
“December 1st, 2023, ISU had decided that is how they are going to pay for the space,” Markert said.
The administration and Faculty Diversity Subcommittee have also been investigating the cost for U-High to join the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). However, there continue to be requirements the school needs to meet, which are not financially feasible at this time.
One such requirement is creating and hiring a full-time position to manage the program.
“This would be someone who would be getting paid roughly $40,000-$50,000, plus benefits,” Markert said.
To create this position, the Laboratory schools would have to apply to the university to have the position added.
“Additionally, we will need a lot more equipment in the kitchen for the program,” Markert said. “It is looking at being a very expensive program for U-High to be a part of.
While this exploration continues, students who originally qualified for the NSLP may soon have another option. Markert and the Director of the Laboratory Schools, Anthony Jones, hope to create a voucher program that will allow the school to pay for qualifying students’ lunches.
“This will overall be cheaper than bringing the FLP [NSLP] in at this time,” Markert said.
This voucher plan has yet to be approved. It is one idea under consideration that would be more practical financially than the NSLP at this time. During the current school year, 29 students would qualify for this program; this constitutes 4.68% of the student population.
According to Bill Legett, director of EMDH, the food service remains nonprofit and shares its revenue with U-High, but increasing costs have created the need for change in how the school receives that money.
“There have been significant increases in the cost of food and labor across the board which affect the costs of the product we offer,” Legett said. “We always keep in mind the students we serve while ensuring costs are covered to continue providing the services requested.”
Legett said EMDH remains focused on providing quality dining options at a price that is based on current labor and food costs.
“This approach allows our menu prices to align with current industry standards for our type of venue,” Legett said. “[this approach] only provides financial support to U-High based on space, not costs of goods sold, therefore, not passing on additional costs to U-High students.”
Legett said a subsidized lunch program would be a more affordable option for students, but one that would come with certain restrictions.
“with that option, there are more restrictions to follow and requirements if you want government funding for that option,” Legett said. “
Metcalf, U-High’s sister school, has also considered multiple options for lunch programs.
“We have considered many options, everything from a full kitchen renovation and cooking food in-house, to catering food from other districts or local businesses,” program coordinator Nick Lisowski said.
Lisowski said these options haven’t been selected because of how many factors come into play, like ISU policies, cost, safety, and quality.
At this time, no easy solution is on the horizon, but the administration and faculty diversity committee continue to explore options.
