Houston Blog

This just in: Houston Independent School District Superintendent Abe Saavedra will ask the school board this week to double the price of reduced-price lunches from 20 cents to 40 cents.

Full-priced lunches will go from $1.40 to $1.60 for elementary students and from $1.50 to $1.70 for secondary. Adult lunches will go from $2.35 to $2.65.

The good news: HISD will hold the line on breakfasts and continue to offer those free to all students. (In these economic times, some students may actually eat those breakfasts now.)

HISD, like other school districts, is not immune to the increased food costs in the past year. Produce is up 20 percent, milk 14 percent and bread 8 percent. The district estimates it will spend $41 million on food in 2008-9, up from $36.4 million just last year.

The school board will vote on the proposal Thursday.

– Margaret Downing