Annoyed with dd's cafeteria...

[Stepharoonie!]

These past two weeks, I've packed her lunch, but the first two weeks of school, she purchased it. Those two Mondays I sent her with an envelope to give to her teacher (per her teacher's instructions) with enough lunch money for the week...and I should have gotten $1 back in change...never did, though. Not a HUGE deal...but...

This Wednesday and Thursday, I sent her with lunch money. I put $2 in an envelope both days, should have received 25 cents back each day. Didn't get it back. Again, not a huge deal, but I was starting to wonder where the money went, when Maddy pulled a paper out of her backpack this morning saying that I OWED them $2.50 for lunch for yesterday!

Now, where did THIS come from?? Lunch is $1.75. I sent in $4 over the last two days. Simple math tells you that they OWE me 50 cents, I do not owe the $2.50.

I sent a letter back with her, wanting an explanation. I even said that if in some strange fact I DID owe the money, they can take it out of the $2.50 change I haven't received back for two weeks and two days worth of lunch.

Sheesh...and it's ony the first month of school...

 

[Christine]

This seems like a very "slipshod" way to handle purchasing lunch.

I don't know if your DD is in public school or not but we usually pay by check ahead of time and "charge up" and lunch card so that the kids and teacher don't have to deal with money every day.

Our private school just went to doing this. We pick out lunches ahead of time and pay at the beginning of the month. It is too difficult for the young kids to handle money and I can't imagine that the teachers or cafeteria personnel have time to deal with change and envelopes, etc.. Weird.

I guess I would suggest that at the beginning of each week you make sure you have lots of quarters and one dollar bills so you can give her the exact change on those days.

 

[SillyMe]

That was happening to me last year. Turned out my dd was spending some of the money at the school store instead of lunch.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Pay by check so it can be traced. I never send cash.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

In elementary school, I always sent in the exact change; we collected all our quarters in a jar. I wouldn't expect a teacher to have to make change for a class full of kids, and I'd wonder if it was going to end up in the bottomless pit of my kids' backpacks anyway.

 

[agnes!]

Hmmmm...there are too many steps between you (& the money) and the cafeteria (& the money). A lot could be happening...maybe one or two quarters got lost, maybe the teacher forgot to credit it, maybe some kid is stealing(not your kid, just possibly some other kid in the classroom)...the main thought that occurs to me is just *who* keeps track of everybody's lunch money anyway? The teacher? The cafeteria manager? The school office?

I'm not sure quite what you can do to fix the situation., other than go in to the cafeteria & speak to the manager or something.

Good luck,
agnes!

 

[kaseyC]

Check with the school to see if they sell tickets with "blocks" of Lunches. Our school sells tickets in "blocks" of 5, 10, 15 or 20 lunches also milk tickets for kids who bring lunch. I usually send a check in to buy 20 Lunches at a time and the school sends a reminder when DD is almost out of lunches.

Oh yeah, our school lets you know up front if you are sending cash it needs to the exact amount because they do not give change. That is why I send a check because I am not just going to throw money at them.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We send in a check that goes into an account and our child accesses it via a pin number. When the balance gets low we send in another check. My son never bought lunch last year in kindergarten, but wants to occasionally in 1st grade. He's been practicing the 4 digit pin number as part of his homework that he will enter into the pad.

 

[snowy76]

That was happening to me last year. Turned out my dd was spending some of the money at the school store instead of lunch.

Mine must've seen yours there while they were buying overpriced erasers!!
Oh yeah, and mine were buying ice cream on top of the regular lunch.

 

[XYSRUS]

Try exact change in a sealed envelope marked with your child's name, date and lunch. A lot of work but then the kids don't spend it on something else or give it away. My kids used to come home with 25 cents to a dollar on some days and they were like, so and so just gave it to me. What are these kids thinking?

 

[grlpwrd]

Yup, it could be your dd is spending the money on other things. BTDT lol

 

[mickeyboat]

Our school seems to have it all under control, but the system is antequated, and I think someone in the office spends about half her time sorting it all out.

We send an envelope at the beginning of each week with a check and a list of which days the kids want lunch and snack milk, and which entrees they want. I have gotten change back in the past when I sent in milk money and they had a class party, or when I accidentally sent in money for a day they didn't have school.

I wish they would go to come debit card type system.

Denae

 

[Stepharoonie!]

What's odd is, the teacher requests that you put the money in a labeled envelope and have the child give it to them either at the beginning of the week, or the day that they're getting lunch...then, when it's time for lunch, they give the kids the money to give to the cashiers. So, I'm not sure why Maddy doesn't get change from the cafeteria. I asked what she ate those two days, checked it versus the menu, and there was nothing extra she bought.

They do not have a school store, and she doesn't completely understand the use of money yet...she's 5.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Our cafeteria can print out a monthly expenditure list. I get one every month or so, to keep up with how much I put in and what the DD's are spending it on. They are allowed to have ice cream once a week, per us, and I found in 1st grade my oldest was buying ice cream for her best friend everyday she had it too. Maybe your school will give you a print out too, then you can make sure that all the money you send in is getting credited to the right students account.

 

[Skatermom23]

Do they charge extra for a milk or juice? I know milk is included with our lunches but if the kids want a juice, it is extra.

 

[Blondy876]

We have this same problem almost every year with my dd's cafeteria. I send in a check to cover 2 months worth of lunches at a time.

Once about every 3 or 4 weeks I get a note telling us we own money. That's not possible and we have always gotten it straightened out. Well last May I paid for her lunch till the end of the school year. 2 weeks before the end of the year I get a note saying she owes for 2 days. I know this is wrong so I call the school and get things straightened out again. Then 4 days before school lets out I get a nasty note from the cafeteria person telling me that I owe for her lunch for the last 2 weeks and that if she needed to be on reduced lunch that I should have notified the school. The note went on to tell me that I needed to pay up immediately as she was trying to balance the books for the end of the year and my bill was the only thing holding them back. I was livid. It was just such a nasty note. I got my check number and the date it had been cashed etc. and called her up and told her I had sent the check in and that it had been cashed on XX. She fights with me saying it was never sent and never cashed and that I was lucky they were allowing my dd to eat at all. I hung up on her. I then called the principal and explained the situation and he went and figured out what was going on (my check had been credited to another Madison) and worked it out. When I picked up my dd that afternoon from school the principal made the cafeteria lady apologize for being so cranky.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Maddy gets chocolate milk everyday...included in the price of the lunch.

I'll wait and see what her teacher says...I'm hoping it's just an oversight. I don't care if I have to pay that, but I can't figure out for the life of me as to WHY.

 

[CEDmom]

Is the $ getting to the teacher? Maybe it's getting put on her desk or someplace else and she's not seeing it. Our school will allow a child to charge up to 2 lunches before a note is sent home. This is done is case someone forgets lunch, their account is empty etc.

The school does have an account parents send money in for. The kids then each have a PIN so there's no worry about $ getting lost.

 

[taximomfor4]

My bet is that the change is going onto her tray. And I would bet that she dumps the tray (and change) after her lunch. I am meticulous now about sending in the exact change, in a sealed envelope with my kids name + the word "lunch money - 1 lunch" and the date.

Really, I try to send in for a lunch ticket instead...usually 20 lunches. I mark the days that are prepaid on my calendar, and most problems are now averted.

 

[clh2]

At my DD's school, we send in money (always a check - then I know they cashed it) and the kids enter their PIN and the money gets deducted. We can also check online anytime we want to see what they are getting, and the system sends an e-mail when we get down to $5 in the account.