Dist. 214 breakfast will cost 25 cents more

A few measures approved by the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 board on Thursday will change the way students in the district’s six high schools get breakfast and snacks and how much they have to pay.

The school board approved a slight cost increase in the breakfast program for students for the 2012-13 school year, from $1.25 to $1.50, because of the increased costs of food, transportation, labor and supplies.

According to the proposal, school breakfast prices had not been raised since the 2008-09 school year.

Low-income students who qualify for a 30-cent breakfast will not see an increase.

The district surveyed surrounding districts and found that even with the increase, the price of breakfast will be similar or lower than that in other area districts. Students in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 pay $1.45 for breakfast, while students in Maine Township High School District 207 pay $3.10, the highest in the area. Other prices from area schools range from $1.25 to $2.25.

Aside from the breakfast price changes, the school board agreed to buy 12 vending machines from American Vending Sales for $56,340.

In previous years, District 214 rented vending machines for each of its six high schools at a cost of $42,000 annually. The proposal estimates that over the 12- to 15-year life expectancy of the machines, owning rather than renting will save the district more than $400,000.