Every Wednesday, the main lunch option for students is pizza from various places in the Quad Cities. While most students appreciate the option of pizza for lunch, some also feel like they’re overpaying for them.
Principal Darren Erickson said, to his knowledge, the school does not take advantage of the student’s lunches. However, at Little Caesar’s, one of the places the school buys pizza from, a large pizza costs $6, while a slice of pizza at Pleasant Valley is $2.10. Even if only half the school got pizza one day, around 750 students, the school seems to make a net profit of $1012.50.
Those numbers don’t include the large amount of students who purchase multiple slices of pizza. “Many people, myself included, get multiple slices of pizza (every Wednesday). It seems a bit outrageous to pay over $4 for just one fourth of a pizza,” Senior Jacob Holland said.
However, it needs to be said that even though there is a ‘profit’ made on pizza days, it doesn’t necessarily mean they pocket the extra cash. There might be other lunches that the school provides at a lower price than what they purchase them for.
Erickson explained that students who do struggle financially are eligible to receive free lunches from the school. “We do offer free and reduced lunch rates depending on their needs,” Erickson said. Despite this option for the ones who struggle financially, Holland still believes it should be cheaper for everyone. “People want to save money regardless of their financial situation. Especially when they feel like they’re overpaying for something,” he said.
Most students feel as though schools making profit on student’s lunches is unjust and is something that should not happen. While Erickson claimed, “Our lunch program does not make a profit,” it seems a bit odd that the pizza and other lunches at our school cost so much.
