The Sioux Falls School District has accumulated $106,500 in school lunch debt since the beginning of the school year, which is the highest debt has ever been, multimedia specialist Carly Uthe told the Argus Leader.
Uthe said meal debt accumulates for a variety of reasons. For example, families may not have applied for the free and reduced-price meal program, or applied and were denied, or families may have an outstanding balance before they’re approved.
There are 10,700 Sioux Falls School District students − 42% of the district’s student population − on the free and reduced-price lunch program.
Only a fraction of the current debt comes from those 10,700 students at this time, Uthe said. The bulk of the debt is from families who don’t qualify for this program, or haven’t applied to the program.
The school lunch program is a standalone program that’s not part of the district’s general fund budget, Uthe explained, so when school lunch programs have debt, it must be collected from the general fund. The general fund is made up of property taxes and state aid, and is meant to go toward teacher salaries and other education-related costs in classrooms, Uthe explained.
So when general fund money is used to pay for meals, it means less money is available for its intended purpose, Uthe explained.
More:Congressional action sought to revive free meal program
The USDA controls the National School Lunch Program and legally requires school districts to have an unpaid meal charge policy. Sioux Falls’ policy describes how notifications are sent out to families with lunch debt or lunch accounts with $15 or less each day. The district also mails letters to families biweekly, and district staff members call families regularly, Uthe said.
To connect with more families who hold outstanding school lunch balances, the district also recently hired a new student account specialist. The position was posted on the district’s website Nov. 18, was filled Dec. 2 and the person will begin Dec. 21.
Students with negative accounts will be given an alternate meal that is in alignment with USDA nutritional standards and includes milk, Uthe explained.
“We want to stress the fact that no student will go without a meal,” she said. “As an added note, even though our policy indicates otherwise, (the district) has no plans to refuse any student a lunch (or an alternate meal) for the rest of the 2022-2023 school year.”
Tea philanthropist clears lunch debt
In a district nearby, officials recently cleared a $10,000 lunch debt with the help of one local philanthropist.
On Nov. 22, Josh Chapman and his team at J&R Mechanical gave the Tea Area School District a $10,000 check to clear all Tea students’ negative lunch balances, Audrey Arndt, executive administrative assistant in the Tea Area School District, said.
More:Roosevelt High School student represents Jobs for America’s Graduates in D.C.
“On Tuesday morning, the business manager received a call from Mr. Chapman asking for the amount to clear all negative lunch balances. She received a check by that afternoon,” Arndt said. “She brought the check down to my office with tears in her eyes and explained to me what just happened.”
The district is humbled by Chapman’s donation, Arndt said.
“We live in a community that takes care of each other, and his donation is an example of paying it forward as many families enter into the holiday season with a little less stress and a grateful heart,” Arndt said.
Source link
