Mass. schools racked up over $78K in unpaid lunch bills

GLOUCESTER, Mass.—At Gloucester High School, lunch costs $3.50 a day. At O’Maley Innovation Middle School, it costs $3.40. And at the elementary level, it costs $2.90.

But the failure of some kids and their families to pay even that amount has cost city taxpayers $78,000, and school officials are looking to do something about it.

School officials and city councilors Tuesday night began grappling with what some referred to as a “chronic problem,” the failure of students and/or their families to pay for school lunches. The running count owed as of this week has hit $78,000, officials say.