Following feedback, Fayette schools no longer considering meal price increase

Based on feedback from school board members, district administration is no longer recommending an increase in meal prices for the 2025–26 school year, Fayette County Public Schools spokesperson Dia Davidson-Smith said Friday afternoon.

The Fayette school board is finalizing a tentative budget of more than $800 million that the board is set to approve in May.

At a Feb. 27 budget workshop at which district staff made presentations to the school board, chief operating officer Myron Thompson said administration was recommending a 50-cent price increase in breakfast and lunch for students and adults.

Under the proposed increase, students would have been paying $2.50 for breakfast. For lunch, pre-K through 5th grade students would be paying $3.25 and 6th through 12th graders would be paying $3.50.

However Davidson-Smith said Friday the purpose of the budget workshop is to provide an opportunity for the administration to receive feedback from the Board of Education on budget priorities.

“It’s important to note that items discussed or proposed during the workshop are not guaranteed to appear in the final budget recommendations presented for board approval,” Davidson-Smith said. “One such example is the discussion around lunch prices.

“Based on feedback from board members during and following the workshop, administration is no longer recommending an increase in meal prices for the 2025–26 school year.”

The district child nutrition program has a $33.7 million budget. Fayette County Public Schools serves 14,908 breakfasts each day; 27,727 lunches; and 850 dinners each day.