Columbia County students likely will pay more for school lunches next year.

The school board is considering raising the cost of elementary school lunches by 50 cents and the price of middle and high school lunches by 25 cents. These increases would put the price of all school lunches at $2.25.

Superintendent Charles Nagle made the proposal to the board at a study session Tuesday to review the proposed budget for 2008-09.

"This is probably going to be one of the tightest budgets that we've had in a long time," he said.

He said the proposed budget is expected to have a shortfall of more than $1 million. However, he said he would recommend that the school system offset the deficit with its fund balance and reserves rather than with a millage increase. This year the millage is 17.09.

Preliminary figures put expenditures for 2008-09 at $176 million, a $5.1 million increase from the current school year.

Revenues are projected at $175 million. Local revenues are estimated at more than $68 million, based on a 6 percent increase in the county tax digest. State revenues are projected at $106.8 million, and federal income is projected at $200,000.

The largest share of the expenditures would cover salaries and benefits, which make up 89.2 percent of the budget.

Fixed costs such as phones, fuel, insurance, textbooks and utilities would account for 4.6 percent of the budget. Discretionary spending for items including software and instructional supplies would make up 6.2 percent of the budget. The proposed budget is based on a student population of 22,577, an increase of 484.

"The only thing that we're asking that I don't feel good about -- I feel comfortable with it -- is school nutrition," Mr. Nagle said of the lunch cost increase. He attributed the need for the price increase to rising food costs.