BURLINGTON — Rising national food costs could be passed on to local families starting next school year if projections hold.

Don Vennetti, Burlington-Edison School District food services manager, said those increasing costs — mostly from skyrocketing fuel costs — could be anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent greater than this year’s costs. The change may force the district to raise its food prices for the second consecutive year to make up for the discrepancy.

“The (change) may affect us greatly, it may not affect us at all,” Vennetti said. “Our fiscal department is working on the budgets right now and we’re trying to crunch those numbers.”

Those estimates come from recent numbers released by the national Farm Service Agency to area food service departments, he said, adding that the increases are tied to rising diesel costs and allocation of corn products in the United States.

In addition to being used as a food product, a percentage of U.S. corn is turned into ethanol — a common fuel additive — which is causing supply and demand to fluctuate, he said.

The district’s financial department is currently piecing together next school year’s budget. Finance director Joe Stewart said the budget should be ready for School Board approval in August.

“It’s really tough to say what (the increase) means to the students if the costs are passed on,” Stewart said. “Do you pass them along or does the district absorb that with local funds? We want affordable lunches, but there are costs associated with doing so.”

Currently, elementary school lunch costs $2.50, with seventh- through 12th-grade students paying $2.75. Those prices were approved by the School Board in March 2007.

Prior to the change, school lunches were $2.35 and $2.50 for elementary and seventh through 12th graders, respectively.

“Last year we raised prices a little bit to try to get them in balance with the budget,” Vennetti said. “Next year, we don’t know.”

School districts around the country will be accounting for the increasing costs next school year, Vennetti said, not just Burlington-Edison. Federal mandates require specific portions of fresh fruit and vegetables and limited unhealthy menu options, Vennetti said. But just like the Washington State Assessment of Student Learning, those mandates are not necessarily well-funded.

The district does receive some federal commodities from the United States Department of Agriculture, but that often does not make much difference in the budget, he said.

“You try to do the best you can to make sure you’re meeting the nutritional guidelines from the FDA, but it’s kind of a juggling act,” he said.

The Burlington-Edison School District serves nearly 1,900 lunches per day.