CHICAGO, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The cost of lunch is doubling for Chicago public school students because of rising food and labor prices, school officials said.
A reduced-price grade school lunch has cost children just 20 cents since 1989. Full price was 50 cents. Those prices will double Jan. 31 to 40 cents for lunch, $1 for breakfast, $1.35 for elementary school lunch and $1.60 for a high school lunch.
Children in a family of four with a household income of less than $24,505 a year -- about 265,000 students -- are eligible for free school meals.
The nation's third-largest public school system with 431,000 students provides 70 million school meals annually at a cost of $23 million. The Chicago Public Schools receive $136 million in federal subsidies and $10 million from the state of Illinois.
The first meal price hikes in 16 years are expected to bring in an extra $3 million this year and $6 million next year.
"This is a change that we put off as long as possible and was made only as a last resort," said CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan.
