Deficit to Bring IL District Into Federal School Lunch Fold

Indian Prairie (IL) School District 204, one of the few public districts in the country not to participate in the federal School Lunch Program, is reconsidering in the face of a nearly $550,000 deficit in 2007-08, reports the Fox Valley Villages Sun. The district is in the final year of a deal with Sodexo to manage its foodservice operations, and it has decided to put the contract out to bid when it expires, specifying that it will want a contractor that will work to develop a meal program that meets federal qualifications for the School Lunch Program. Participation has lagged at 37 percent for elementary students and 49 percent for secondary students. The average price of a meal in Indian Prarie cafeterias is currently $2.70.