Parents react to proposed price increase for school meals in Knox County
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — As Knox County Schools prepares to vote on their budget for next school year, a price increase has been proposed for school lunches. Included in the proposed budget is a plan to add .25 to .50 cents on various student lunches.
Some parents are concerned, saying after a year that will add up quickly. Children who eat at school twice a day could be spending up to $135 more a year.
'The school lunches is sometimes the only lunch that children might get. I don't know their parents financial situation. I only know my own, and I think maybe a lot of kids could really benefit from a free lunch,' said KCS parent Laura Buffalo.
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Buffalo's daughter is currently in the 3rd grade, and she said she often eats school lunches. With grocery prices increasing, it was always something she knew they could fall back on.
'We still live paycheck to paycheck.' she said. 'I feel like that's what maybe a lot of other families also live paycheck to paycheck, because the economy, everything has increased immensely.'
But it is this economic shift that Heidi Foster, another Knox County Schools parent, says could be contributing to the increase.
'Obviously with our economy that it is and grocery store prices and things like that, I feel like it's probably the best thing that they can do,' Foster said.
In Tuesday's budget meeting, that was one of the reasons KCS Assistant Superintendent of Operations Garfield Adams attributed this increase to along with the proposed price being comparable to surrounding school systems.
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'I know that might hurt some families, but I think right now everyone's hurting a little bit,' said Foster. 'but I mean, I understand their viewpoint.'
While Buffalo agrees the school may need to spend more to provide meals for students, she said the budget could be redistributed.
'But here, when they're talking about building an extra Farragut school in a place that's already chaotic traffic-wise, instead of taking the $4 million for that and putting it towards school lunches or breakfasts,' said Buffalo.
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According to KCS the projected revenue from this change would bring in roughly $900,000 to the school system. The Knox County School Board will not vote on their budget until April 29th. Once approved, it will then be sent to Knox County Commission, who will vote around the end of June.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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