(WCMH) — School lunch prices in some districts are on the rise. Groveport-Madison Schools received notice recently from the US Department of Agriculture that the price of lunches will go up by 10 cents for the 2017-2018 school year.

Ten cents may not seem like a lot, but many parents say they are already having a difficult time paying for their children’s lunches.

Christy Taylor is a local grandmother who says her heart goes out to those who have a hard time paying for their children’s school lunches, including her daughter.

“I know that for my grandchildren, my daughter can’t afford to buy the school lunch because it’s so expensive, so it’s just going to make it worse.”

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service states:

• The Paid Lunch Equity provision of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act ensures that meals served to children who pay full price generate, over time, revenue equal to the Federal government’s support for free meals.
• If the average paid lunch price is less than the difference, the school district must either gradually adjust prices or provide non-Federal funding to cover the difference. The formula is specified in the law and the maximum required annual increase in prices is capped at 10 cents.
• Research indicates that average prices charged for paid lunches in some schools are less than the cost of producing those lunches. This effectively increases Federal subsidies for higher income children because Federal funds intended for free and reduced price lunches are filling the gap between what a paid lunch costs and what the school receives for it.
• School districts maintain significant local control in establishing the prices for paid lunches. Districts may maintain low paid lunch prices if they provide an equivalent amount in non-Federal funds. 

Chanell Westfall has two young children and doesn’t agree with the price of lunches going up.

“It’s already hard now because there’s so many kids that when they can’t pay their lunches like they’ve got to do things to get that lunch and I just feel like that’s not fair like they should be able to eat and the price is already expensive to send them to school, school clothes, school supplies,” said Westfall. “The last thing my kid or at least I want to worry about when I send my kids to school is the price of lunches going up, it’s a lot.”