— Athens City Schools board members approved Thursday a 10-cent increase in the price students, employees and visitors will pay for lunches in the 2012-2013 school year.

Superintendent Dr. Orman Bridges Jr. said it is a mandated increase from the federal government. Since the 2008-2009 school year, student lunch prices have remained $2. In July 2010, the federal government passed the Heatlthy, Hunger — Free Kids Act, which ordered local school districts to increase the lunch price for a paid student to the difference in federal reimbursement between a free and paid meal.

According to the act, prices would increase each year until $2.51 per meal is reached.

Reduced-priced meals would remain the same each year until the law on reduced-price meals changes.

All employee and visitor meals must increase the same amount as the paid student meal increase, and all breakfast prices will remain the same.

Other approved items include:

• Purchasing a 2013 84-passenger bus from Yancey Bus Sales of Alabaster at the cost of $98,972 and a 2013 53-passenger special needs bus at a cost of $96,599.22 from Transportation South of Pelham. Local school funds and state renewal funds will be used to service the debt on a lease agreement to be determined;

• Adopting the entire list of mathematics textbooks approved by the Alabama state Board of Education. The textbooks will be available for selection from 2012-2018. The Athens City School District’s Mathematics Textbook Adoption Committee will make the final selections of textbooks for each grade from the state approved list;

• AHS course selection guide for 2012-2013 school year;

• Retirements of Cassandra Moore, language arts teacher at Athens High School; Steve Patty, language arts teacher at Athens High School; Sherry Langley, fifth-grade teacher at Athens Intermediate School; and Betty Faye Collins, fifth-grade teacher at Athens Intermediate School;

• Resignations of Greg Greenhaw, physical education teacher at Athens Intermediate School; Jimmy McBay, custodian at Athens High School; Roger Brock, bus driver at the district level; B.J. Armstrong as head wrestling coach at Athens High School;

• Certified Teacher Pay for Brittany Brown, substitute teacher for Michelle Mask, second-grade teacher at Athens Elementary School; and Alex Christopher, substitute for Kerry Donaldson, physical education teacher at Athens Middle School;

• Leave of absence for Jessica Lynn, preschool teacher at Athens Elementary School.