Penn-Trafford drops National School Lunch Program, gives students more choices

Ryan Solomon is loving his senior year at Penn-Trafford High School. That includes eating lunch in the school's new million-dollar cafeteria.

The cafeteria is styled to be like a food court, and its goal is to get more students to buy lunch.

"I think we'd consider 45 percent a success, and if we hit 50 percent, then we should really be back in the black," said Brett Lago, Penn-Trafford director of business affairs.

For the past several years, student participation hovered at just 25 percent.  That cost the high school $20,000 a year.

But last spring, Lago made a bold proposal to the school board to drop the National School Lunch Program. That would free school officials of First Lady Michelle Obama's dietary guidelines -- and give students more options in their new cafeteria.

For example, this year, Solomon can choose a Mexican wrap or a salad and a bottle of water. Last year, the water cost him extra money, and he was forced to take a fruit or vegetable, even if he didn't plan on eating it.

The decision came at a big price. Dropping the national program costs Penn-Trafford $100,000 a year in federal aid earmarked for low-income student lunches. The school plans to make up the loss in its new lunch room.

Logo said that, so far, the new cafeteria is working and student participation has jumped to 41 percent.

"We're still providing healthy meals and healthy choices, we just have more flexibility," Logo said.

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