Proposal (2nd draft)

Lower Cafeteria Prices

            Anyone who has been to school has been in a cafeteria, and has most likely bought the school lunches. But, has anyone noticed the prices, and how they keep increasing?

            At Bristol Community College, the first thing I noticed was the cafeteria prices were much higher than I had expected. My initial thought was “How am I going to afford this?” As a full time college student, I am only able to work two days a week due to my schedule. The money I earn goes towards gas and car insurance, the money left over, if any, goes towards what I need such as food. Therefore, I cannot afford to spend $5.50 for a meal, not including a drink, four days a week.

            This increase has been occurring in high schools nationwide. The costs have been going up by as much as twenty five cents per year, such as at Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville, Massachusetts, where I attended. This does not sound like much, but in high school, where many people do not have jobs, it can be. An article from The New York Times states, “Under the child nutrition bill signed by President Obama in December… School districts are required to start bringing their prices in line with what it costs to prepare the meals, eventually charging an average of $2.46 for the lunches they serve” (Santos). Since schools are being required to serve healthier meals, the ingredients are more expensive. This forces the schools to raise the prices in order to be able to keep serving the lunches. This can place a financial burden on students and their families. Although students of families who are financially struggling can receive free or reduced priced meals, the price increase may not be financially feasible for the families who are struggling to make ends meet, but do not qualify for reduce priced meals (Santos). We need to find a way to make lunch affordable for all students.

            Simply lowering the cost of the food may not be feasible cost wise for the college or other schools, but there are other ways to ensure that students will be able to afford lunch. Instead of having to buy a water bottle for $1.50, the school could put a water cooler in the cafeteria. This would not be a major financial burden for the school (some water coolers can cost as little as $46), and it would cut prices for the students. Another solution is to start a meal plan. Instead of paying daily for food, students could have the option to pay weekly. The students who decide to pay weekly would pay a flat rate that would save them money. For example, if meals cost $5.50 per day, the students who decide to pay per week will pay a flat rate of $20. If the average student goes to school four days a week, they will be saving $2 a week. This in combination with the water cooler could be saving the student up to $8 per week, while not placing a huge financial burden on the school.

            Every student should be able to afford to eat lunch. Nobody should be refused lunch based on their financial state. By adding the water cooler and creating a meal plan, affording meals will become easier for the student.

Post-Write: I feel more confident about this draft. I added more reasons to support my solution, and I added more information from the source. My conclusion needs to be stronger, and I need to direct my proposal at a specific audience. I am not sure who to the proposal should be addressed to, though. Are my reasons for supporting my cause strong enough? Is my solution a feasible one?