Local school officials faced with growing populations of low-income students are petitioning Congress for more federal dollars to fund free and reduced-price school lunches.
The call for more money comes in advance of expected moves to reauthorize the federal Child Nutrition Act by early next year, as well as continued clamor for healthier lunch options.
“We need help,” said Montgomery schools Superintendent Jerry Weast, speaking Tuesday to Gov. Martin O’Malley and asking him to mobilize Maryland’s members of Congress on behalf of a favorable reauthorization.
As part of the act, the federal government reimburses school systems $2.68 for each free lunch provided to eligible students, and $2.28 for each reduced price lunch. Other provisions in the legislation provide money for breakfast, snacks, and summer lunches.
But D.C.-area districts often spend more than the federal reimbursement amount both to provide healthier foods and because costs in the region are higher than national averages. And while the reimbursement goes up each year based on food inflation, it hasn’t kept pace with other costs, such as labor costs and the price of transporting the food.
“For every free meal, we lose about 70 cents,” said Montgomery County food and nutrition director Kathy Lazor. “We have to rely on a la carte sales and food sales through other activities to help recover those costs.”
More than 27 percent of Montgomery students qualify for free or reduced lunches, up from 23 percent in 2004. To qualify, a family of four must earn less about $40,800 per year, or about 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
The money Montgomery spends provides students with more than deep-fried chicken nuggets and ketchup, however. Every grain is a whole grain, Lazor said, and a team of nutritionists seek out low-fat and low-sodium foods that are often pricier than their less healthy counterparts.
Alexandria schools are in a similar position, said Becky Domokos-Bays, director of food and nutrition services.
“It costs us $3.16 to produce meals,” Domokos-Bays said, adding that students eligible for free or reduced price lunches have grown to nearly 55 percent of total enrollment, up from about 52 percent last year at this time.
And while they’re eating healthier, they’re eating pricier. The switch to whole grain buns for sandwiches cost the 12,000-student district nearly $75,000, Domokos-Bays said.
