Wichita school district again opts out of free-meals program

The state’s largest school district has again opted not to participate in a federal program that allows some schools to offer free meals to all students at no cost to their families.

Wichita district officials say paperwork required by the state for at-risk funding would be burdensome and would negate one of the program’s biggest selling points.

“We determined that it was not in our best interest to move forward,” said Darren Muci, director of operations for Wichita schools.

In April, the district’s director of nutrition services said his staff was considering implementing the free-meals program at Hamilton Middle School and five elementary schools: Gardiner, Harry Street, Park, Stanley and Washington.

Since then, Muci said, the district has sought guidance from the Kansas State Department of Education about logistics and decided against starting the program.

“Assuming there were no roadblocks, this program certainly appears to be a tremendous benefit,” Muci said. “But we’re continuing to see, unfortunately, that the devil’s in the details with regard to how it can function in Kansas.”

The Community Eligibility Provision, a piece of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, was available to Kansas districts for the first time last year. Wichita officials opted not to apply. A handful of districts, including Topeka, Hutchinson and Kansas City, Kan., participated.

The program gives schools in high-poverty areas the option to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost to families, no questions asked. Groups that advocate against childhood hunger say it would help ensure that more Kansas children have access to two healthy meals while they’re at school.

Lost state aid

Nationwide, the program’s major selling points have been less paperwork, more meals for kids and little or no increased costs for school districts. In practice, though, at least one Kansas district found that wasn’t the case.

“The process is quite complicated and (involved) a lot of paperwork, which is ironic,” said Aaron Kipp, director of demographics for Topeka schools. “We found that it’s quite burdensome.”

What’s worse, the program may have caused or contributed to Topeka schools losing about $330,000 in state aid for at-risk students last school year. Because state lawmakers largely froze school funding levels for 2016 and 2017, the total loss to the Topeka district could be close to $1 million.

The Topeka district implemented the Community Eligibility Provision at three middle schools and 10 elementary schools during the 2014-15 school year. Families at those schools weren’t required to complete the standard free-lunch application, and many neglected or refused to fill out an alternate form that was needed to secure at-risk state funding, Kipp said.

“The logistical problem that comes into play is adding this massive amount of paperwork to the already massive enrollment process,” he said. “So what happens is, sometimes parents refuse.

“What’s their incentive for doing this paperwork when they’re going to get free lunch anyway?”

Last year’s form “looked like an IRS form or something, with real small type and tons of information,” Kipp said. “So I could understand the apprehension.”

Costs, benefits

State officials hope to streamline the process this year, offering a simpler, one-page Household Economic Survey parents would complete to ensure their schools receive benefits for kids who otherwise would qualify for free meals. The form asks parents to declare the number of people in their household, the total household income and the name, school, grade and birth date of each child living in their home.

Nicole Jahnke, director of child nutrition services for Topeka schools, said the simpler form, combined with increased efforts to gather information, should ease the process a bit this year.

“Because it was our first year, we were learning as we were moving along,” Jahnke said. “Now I think some things are in place that will make it a little easier.”

She and other Topeka district officials believe the program’s benefits still outweigh its costs, and they plan to add another elementary school to it this fall. Next school year, half of Topeka’s 28 attendance centers will offer free breakfasts and lunches to every child.

“All in all, it went really well,” Jahnke said. “It has not come without glitches, but I’m pleased about it. … I kind of feel like the main goal is to make sure kids are fed.”

Topeka schools that implemented the free-meals-for-all program last year reported an increase in lunches and breakfasts served each day. One elementary school that combined the Community Eligibility Provision with breakfast in the classroom saw breakfast participation increase nearly 38 percent.

Families, meanwhile, saved money on school meals. An elementary student who normally pays full price for breakfast and lunch saved about $635 over the school year, Jahnke said.

“We have heard from parents liking it,” she said. “More kids are eating, and that was our ultimate goal.”

Wichita officials say they don’t have the time or resources to process, track and submit thousands of additional forms, and they don’t want to risk losing crucial state funding if the forms aren’t completed.

“We’ll continue to look at this during the school year and stay abreast of what was happening in other districts,” Muci said. “We just didn’t see it as a benefit for us to even implement as a pilot.”

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Wichita school district again opts out of free-meals program."