Students in the Apollo-Ridge School District will pay more in the cafeteria next school year to help the district offset rising food service costs. The Apollo-Ridge School Board on Monday approved an across-the-board 10-cent increase for elementary, secondary and adult lunches. That will bring the prices to $2.45, $2.70 and $3.70, respectively. Students will pay more for a la carte items, whose prices will increase by 8 percent from this school year. Superintendent Matt Curci said the increases are needed to help the district cover a jump in its payment to Nutrition Inc., with which the school board reached an agreement Monday for food service management for the 2015-16 school year. Even with the price hike, however, the district is projected to pay about $42,000 to cover the increased costs. This school year, officials are expecting to spend between $20,000 and $30,000. “I think that’s largely attributable to decreased purchases,â€? Curci said. “Nutrition standards have grown more rigid over the years, but I think the people who handle it for us have done a really nice job in offering students attractive and healthy foods. “We want to be as fair to our families as we can, but we need to make sure the students are still purchasing. If they’re not, it’s just going to lead to a greater disparity.â€? Officials pointed to the growing number of students who qualify for free and reduced cost lunches, as well as an increase in the number of food service employees being eligible and applying for health care through the district. “We can only do so much,â€? board President Greg Primm said. “One of our biggest, if not our biggest, cost factor is wages and benefits. It’s something we focus on all the time.â€? District to contract for subs The Apollo-Ridge School District will, for the first time, contract its substitute teaching services. The school board approved an agreement Monday with Source4Teachers for its substitute teacher placement for the 2015-16 school year. Under the agreement, the district will retain its $85 daily rate for substitutes, but will pay Source4Teachers an additional 29 percent fee on top of it, bringing the total daily price for substitutes to about $110. Despite the fee, Curci said, Apollo-Ridge should see a slight savings since the district no longer will have to bear costs associated with Social Security, retirement and unemployment tax with their substitutes. Board member Susan Wenckowski said the contract will broaden the substitutes pool. In addition, she said, it will add continuity between substitutes and students. That’s because the 12-month “look-backâ€? measurement period afforded to Source4Teachers under the Affordable Care Act will allow substitutes to spend more time in Apollo-Ridge classrooms without the district having to assume health care costs. The district’s look-back period when hiring substitutes directly is nine months. “We could have one teacher subbing for five days if necessary,â€? Wenckowski said. “Before, it was only three. I think that’s great that students will be able to gain more familiarity with the substitute teachers. It’s a win-win for us.â€? Braden Ashe is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-226-4673 or [email protected]. Email Newsletters TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.