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Meal prices for Katy ISD students will increase next school year.
What you need to know
At a June 22 meeting, the Katy ISD board of trustees approved increasing student breakfast and lunch prices for the 2026-27 school year in a split 4-3 vote. Board members Cicely Taylor, Jim Davidson and Nathan Shipley cast the dissenting votes.
How we got here
At the board’s June 15 work study meeting, Dagmara Gujda, associate director of compliance, nutrition and food service, said Katy ISD’s child nutrition fund balance lost $8.4 million during the 2025-26 school year due to significant shifts in both expenditures and revenue.
These shifts come from several sources, including the loss of two federal grants, a 21% increase in food prices over the last five years and rising personnel costs, Gujda said.
Federal reimbursements for meals account for around 62% of total revenue, while salaries, benefits and food costs represent 83% of expenditures.
Gujda said this shows how federal funding does not cover core operating costs, which is why student meal pricing has become “essential” in making up for expenditures and ensuring a balanced funding system.
“If we maintain our current pricing structure and operating practices, the fund balance is projected to be depleted by the 2028-29 school year,” Gujda said. “Should this occur, a contribution from the general operating fund would be acquired at the close of that fiscal year.”
What they’re saying
Alexa Carrier, executive director of nutrition and food services, said she is aware price increases can negatively impact families who already struggle to pay for meals, but described them as “proactive” to prepare for potential fiscal issues.
Taylor said she understands the need to increase meal prices, though she feels it can not come at the cost of potentially affecting students’ access to food.
“We charge for a lot of other things; food should not be something that we should be having to charge extra for families,” Taylor said.
Before you go
Katy ISD offers free and reduced meals for eligible students throughout the school year.
During the summer, the district also provides free meals to all children who live within Katy ISD boundaries, regardless of enrollment, Community Impact previously reported.
