Cost of school meals in Palmyra-Bennet seeing ‘moderate’ increase this year

BENNET, Neb. (KLKN) — Families in the Palmyra-Bennet school district will be paying more for school meals this next semester.

Although the amount of the increase is not listed, the district’s summer newsletter says the “moderate” hike is due to increased food service and delivery costs.

School administrators were not available to comment Friday.

Nathan Bennett has one son who is a student in the district and said he had no idea about the oncoming change.

He said he prepays for his son’s school meals every few months, totaling about $600 annually, which is just one of the many expenses he has to cover.

“Everything has gone up,” he said. “I mean, inflation has killed everything, so it sucks that the kids’ food at school is going up, too, when you already spend five hundred and six hundreds bucks every couple of weeks on groceries at home.”

Schools in the Palmyra-Bennet area offer both breakfast and lunch options, which they indicate are healthy options.

The district’s website offers applications that parents can fill out for free or reduced-priced meals.