Tough choice on school meals

USD 259 passed up a chance to feed every student at six schools twice daily in 2015-16 at no cost to their families – a surprising decision likely to leave some kids hungry. But learning from the Topeka district’s costly experience, Wichita officials likely were wise to hold off.

At least for now, participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision program could worsen the Wichita district’s already tough budget situation.

Eliminating the need for parents to apply for free or reduced-price lunches for their kids – promoted by USDA as a plus – can make it harder for districts to prove for other purposes how many at-risk students are enrolled. Topeka district leaders think implementing the CEP program at 13 schools last school year may have caused or contributed to the loss of $330,000 in state aid, because there was no incentive for parents to complete a complicated alternate form. Unless the Kansas Supreme Court throws out the block-grant law that largely froze funding at 2014-15 levels, the Topeka district’s state support will be affected for the next two school years as well.

To their credit, state officials are working on a simpler form for parents whose children are at CEP schools. Joining the CEP program also would be an easier call if the future of school finance in Kansas were clearer, rather than tied up in pending court decisions and legislative action.

Federal officials need to take seriously the CEP implementation problems in Kansas, where USDA’s promise of “reduced paperwork and administrative costs” conflicts with reality.

Meeting with The Eagle editorial board earlier this year, Audrey Rowe, administrator of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, emphasized how the CEP program eliminates the stigma that may be felt by those on the free or reduced-lunch list as they wait in line with their classmates. It even ends the need for cashiers.

“It’s a way to close that gap and to serve those kids,” she said. “It levels the playing field.”

Sustained hunger also can lead to physical and mental health problems in youths, Rowe said, making feeding programs “an investment in the future job market.”

USDA also included Kansas among six states targeted for its summer meals program, aiming for a 20 percent increase in participation in Kansas. As it was, fewer than 7 percent of Kansas children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches took advantage of summer meal programs; Wichita had 35 sites last summer. To raise awareness, a special Summer Meals Day will be held Wednesday at this year’s 44 school cafeterias and other sites, with breakfasts, lunches or afternoon snacks available to all children younger than 18 (no reservations or paperwork necessary).

Despite the unintended consequences, Topeka officials plan to add another CEP school in the fall and are pleased to see families saving money and more children eating.

But for now it makes sense for USD 259 – and the 75 percent of its students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch – to protect every state dollar, to the point of declining federally funded meals for kids who need them.

For the editorial board, Rhonda Holman

This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Tough choice on school meals."