Trenton, GA – For the first time since 2018, Dade County students will see higher prices in their school cafeteria.
At Monday night’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Dade County Board of Education, commissioners approved the new menu cost adjustment as well as beefed up security and supplemental instruction materials for the coming 2025-2026 school year, which begins August 7th.
The board also heard how Dade County Schools are complying with the new state law SB 351, or the “Protecting Georgia’s Children on Social Media Act” which went into effect July 1st.
Dade School’s Director of Federal Programs & Safety Jeremy Roerdink gave the panel a brief overview of how Georgia school systems are now required to adopt social media policies; educate students of social media pitfalls; the potential of online cyber bullying and human trafficking.
Roerdink says the average student is focusing more time and attention on their “not so smart” phones and social media platforms, spending up to 6-8 hours daily.
Looking ahead to the 2026-2027 school year, Roerdink says Dade County Schools are well positioned for the implementation of HB 268 and the new school safety laws prompted by last year’s deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County.
Prefacing his remarks on the new security protocols, Roerdink brought some unexpected good news for the board, alerting to the late Friday notification of $471,479 for a Title 1, Part A grant coming to Dade County Schools, an increase of $25,248 from FY 2025.
One increase students will see right away is the higher price for breakfast and lunch.
The board approved a price adjustment for student breakfasts systemwide at $1.50 each.
Student lunch prices at elementary schools will now be $2.50, $2.75 at Dade Middle and $3.00 for Dade County High School.
Adult meal prices were also upwardly adjusted to $2.35 for breakfast and $4.30 for lunch.
In justifying the first school meal price hike in 7 years, Dade Schools Food Service Manager Jennifer Bowdon said her total food cost in 2018 was a little more than $450,000. Last year, that figure ballooned to just under $600,000.
By the plate, Bowdon said the 2018 meal cost averaged $2.18 per serving.
Contrasted to 2024 inflation; the per plate food cost rose to an average of $4.41.
In other action items approved, Superintendent Josh Ingle successfully lobbied for a $70,000 commitment for safety fund expenditures. Namely, installing security cameras for the newly constructed wing of Davis Elementary, a vape detecting HALO unit for Dade County High School, new computer servers for all schools and intercom speakers at the Davis Elementary, Dade Middle and Dade County High School campuses.
The total cost was tabulated for $66,638.78, but Superintendent Ingle wanted the variance for any unforeseen contingencies. The motion was unanimously approved by the board.