School Board Approves Lunch Price Increases

The State College Area School Board on Monday voted to approve increases to breakfast and lunch prices in district schools for 2017-18.

The board also approved a project for the Park Forest Middle School kitchen, advertising of bids for phasing work for the State High project, and state-required public hearing booklets for the elementary school projects.

Under the new meal pricing structure lunch prices for elementary and middle schools will increase $.05, with elementary schools going from $2.55 to $2.60 and middle schools from $2.80 to $2.85. Breakfast prices for elementary and secondary schools also will increase by a nickel.

For the high school, lunch prices will increase from $3.05 to $3.50. That change will not go into effect until the new food court opens in 2018.

According to the district, the increases are the result of rising operation costs, including the cost of wages and benefits, which are the food service department’s largest expense. 

The district spent an average of $1.50 for food and milk per meal. Food services participates in a regional group bid and utilizes canned, frozen and dry foods as cost control measures. The district also recently began using some commodity money to purchase fresh produce through the Department of Defense as permitted by the Department of Agriculture. 

PFMS Kitchen Work

The board unanimously approved awarding a bid of $130,000 to TMG Builders for work to be done this summer on the Park Forest Middle School kitchen.

The work will replace the walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer and renovate the kitchen exhaust system. Ed Poprik, director of physical plant, said an initial estimate of $41,600 was prepared only for replacing mechanical components of the cooler. But after further inspection, staff found the cooler units needed to be replaced. Repairs to the failing exhaust system also were added to the scope of the project.

Interior demolition work comprises a large part of the bid, Poprik said.

State High Phasing Work

Poprik said interior renovations are needed to accommodate additional demolition at the State High south building during the summer. Those include a new partition for a temporary nurse’s office, two new emergency exits, and changes to the food serving area, which will move from the lower building to the upper building.

The board approved advertising of bids, and Poprik said the work is expected to cost about $50,000, which will be funded from the existing physical plant five-year budget.

The front part of the new high school on the south campus is expected to open for students in January 2018. The rest of the south campus and most of the north campus, excluding the gym, will then be demolished to continue construction on the rest of the new high school.

Act 34 Public Hearing Booklets

The board unanimously approved Act 34 public hearing booklets for the renovation and new construction projects at Corl Street, Houserville and Radio Park elementary schools.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires public hearings for major school construction projects. Hearings for the three district elementary school projects are scheduled for 6 p.m. on June 26, after which they board is expected to vote on the 60 percent designs for the project.

The required booklets for the hearing include information on the need for the projects, options considered, the type and purpose of building additions and estimated costs.

Residents will be able to offer comment at the hearings. The board is expected to vote on final plans in September and award bids in November. Plans call for the projects to be completed by June 2019.

The board voted to approve the 30 percent designs in February.