Most Island towns will be footing approximately the same share of high school costs next year, except for the two up-Island towns that contribute the smallest percentages of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s nearly $13.59 million in expenses, the regional high school committee reported this week.

Chilmark’s share of the budget is increasing by about 36 per cent compared to last year, while Aquinnah’s portion is set to decrease by 30 per cent. The two towns account for less than 7 per cent of the apportionments.

The six Island towns are responsible for the high school expenses. Using the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s statutory assessment method, the school divided the expenses according to student enrollment figures. The changes in the Chilmark and Aquinnah percentages reflect changes in the numbers of regional high school students from those towns.

The other towns’ contributions remained largely the same. Oak Bluffs’ contribution decreased by about 2 per cent, and Tisbury’s portion changed the least, going down by less than 1 per cent. West Tisbury’s assessment increased by 11 per cent, and Edgartown owes about 4 per cent more than it did last year.

For fiscal year 2013, Oak Bluffs will continue to pay the largest percentage of shared costs at 26.3 per cent. Edgartown will follow at 25.7 percent, Tisbury at 22.7 per cent, and West Tisbury at 18.8 percent. Chilmark’s share is 5.2 percent, and Aquinnah’s share is down to 1.3 per cent.

In other news, a look at enrollment projections showed that after a period of decline, the high school’s enrollment is “going to see some growth over the next couple years,” said superintendent Jim Weiss.

High school enrollment figures show that the student body has been on a downward trend since 2001, with enrollment peaking at 822 in the 2005-2006 school year and falling to 669 in the 2011-2012 year.

However, high school enrollment is projected to rise in the coming years, potentially reaching as high as 924 students in 2021-2022.

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The committee also heard an update about the high school cafeteria from Chartwells, the school district’s food service provider. Chartwells district manager Gail Oliveira and high school cafeteria manager Leslie Floyd talked about additions ranging from popular omelette bars and deli stations to hydroponic greens grown at the high school.

Ms. Floyd said the cafeteria has expanded menu variety, increasing the number of food stations from four to six, adding more vegetarian options, and opening a popular “ready, set, deli” station providing sandwiches three times each week.

The cafeteria has focused on healthier options that exceed national guidelines, she said. The high school’s meals now have zero grams of trans fats and include growth-hormone-free milk, baked fries (students used to grab french fries and leave, Ms. Floyd noted, which is “not a healthy meal”), and more healthful snacks in vending machines, including baked chips and fruit-based snacks.

The cafeteria’s menu has also included locally-grown produce, some from local farms — the school received 1,600 pounds of gleaned plum tomatoes last fall — and others from greenhouses behind the school, where the horticulture program has grown hydroponic microgreens and other produce. Lettuce produced at the school is sometimes used at the salad bar the day it is harvested, Ms. Floyd said.

The Farm Institute has donated chicken, which was braised for a chicken gyro harvest lunch, she said, and students have also dined on red potatoes from Morning Glory Farm, chicken quesadilla pizza, hummus and veggie wraps, and a meal of slow-cooked ribs, carrot confetti cole slaw, house-made corn bread, and “Leslie’s local blend bread and butter pickles.”

The cafeteria also makes all sauces, dressings and stock in-house, and has started a breakfast omelette station three times each week. “This has been a huge success for us,” said Ms. Floyd, with the cafeteria making 20 to 25 omelettes each day for staff and students.

Ms. Floyd also detailed a host of programs going on at the high school, from a chef-to-school program, where kids can try new foods at tastings, to a student culinary competition to create kid-friendly school lunch menu options. The program helps students understand the difficulties of making “a meal that works within the amount of money we have,” Ms. Floyd said.

Beyond the food, the staff also has been busy with monthly meetings, health department inspections (which they passed), and allergy-awareness training. At least 30 students at the high school have a range of allergies, she said.

One challenge, she said, is getting students to take as many of the five components of the meal as possible — a protein, a grain, vegetable, fruit and milk. For students on the free-lunch program, the school receives federal government reimbursement for only those who take at least three of the meal’s components.

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The committee also approved using $15,000 from the high school’s excess and deficiency fund to finance a renewed search for a special education director to replace Dan Seklecki, who is retiring in June. Mr. Seklecki has already postponed his retirement from a planned January date because the district was not able to find his replacement.

“It’s a lot of money to spend, but its a necessary expense if we’re going to find another Dan,” said committee chair Priscilla Silva.

The school committee also “reluctantly” accepted special education administrator Laura Gliga’s notice that she intends to retire in June and welcomed a new Spanish teacher, Jessica Bertucci.

High school principal Steve Nixon also congratulated the school’s literary magazine, Seabreezes, for winning an award of excellence from the National Council of Teachers of English.