Elementary School Lunch Price Raised to $3.15

Darien elementary school students will have their pick of fresh produce and dairy products in the fall but will have to pay more money for them.  

That's after the Board of Education approved an increase — $3.15 per lunch, up from $2.85 — by a vote of six to two on Tuesday.

Finance director Richard Huot said the increase was necessitated by credit card transaction fees, rising delivery charges from vendors, and a desire from parents for their children to eat a wide variety of foods.

“The high cost of delivery fees is due to oil prices rising, [and] the credit card transaction fee adds three percent,” Huot told the board.

"We have a small cafeteria staff. We have retirements. We consolidated our labor. We want to eliminate paper, and do as much automatically as possible," Huot added, explaining why students' families were being asked to bear the cost of credit card fees.

Board member Clara Sartori asked Huot if the district had notified parents about the planned changes. Huot said many parents had requested the district offer a variety of healthier foods.

“We can get better quality meat and chicken nuggets,” Huot said. “New Canaan schools have more expensive food prices, because those parents demand healthier foods.”

Board member Morgan Whittier noted that the $3.15 cost is still is much lower than the price a comparable meal purchased elsewhere.

Heather Shea and Elizabeth Hagerty-Ross voted against the measure.