By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – Unit 5 school superintendent Mark Daniel said he’s surprised preliminary enrollment projections show a slight increase for the next school year, instead of a decline.

Overall enrollment is seen at 13,373 students, up 33 kids from this school year. Daniel was surprised given a modest drop in McLean County’s birth rate the past four or five years, and plans by State Farm Insurance to reduce almost 900 information technology jobs at its Bloomington headquarters.

“Not knowing the extent of the impact, but knowing there is movement, and I’ve said this before, will that be families with children that are school age or will it be with families (with children) who are not school age?”

The school board Wednesday night agreed to raise lunch prices by five cents to keep up with costs, and reductions in federal government reimbursements.

The district will charge between $2.15 to $3.35 per meal, but Daniel said free or reduced prices are available for low-income families.

“We try to ensure that all of these families that are in the free or reduced categories, that they receive the proper applications, and that’s followed through. Again, that’s done very discreetly. Students wouldn’t know about that. We still enter a slide, a card system so no one knows,” Daniel said.

There’s no change in breakfast prices, which remain at $1.45.

The school board promoted its vice president, Barry Hitchens, to serve as president for the next year. Hitchens was first elected to the board three years ago. Mike Trask will be the board’s vice president.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]