Free breakfasts, lunches a possibility for Abilene, Wylie students

Free meals could be in sight for all students in the Abilene and Wylie school districts.

The administrators of both districts are considering applying for a federal program that will extend the summer meal model in which the Abilene Independent School District participates through the 2021-22 school year.

The summer program offers free meals to everyone between 1 and 18 years of age. If the Abilene ISD elects to continue the program extension during the school year, not much would change from a family perspective, director of student nutrition Jay Towell said.

“We’ll be able to keep our menus the same, and we’ll have tons of options in all of our schools,” said Towell. “And parents can still deposit money into their students’ accounts for à la carte purchases. In fact, this can help some children who for some reason are unable to enjoy à la carte.

“And it is also good for us to help us with sales.”

Why not?

Towell and other AISD administrators may see the year-long program as a huge win for families, especially those who struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, there is still hesitation among the top of the district as participating in the program could lead to a situation where Peter is robbed to pay Paul, officials said.

Participation in the expanded summer meal program could prevent the district from collecting data on its economically disadvantaged population.

Typically, these students receive free or discounted meals depending on family income. But that data also feeds into other forms of funding the district receives, such as its technology-specific e-rate funding, Superintendent David Young said Monday.

“We want to make sure we avoid negative, unintended consequences of this program,” said Young. “That sounds like a lot and it would certainly be difficult to provide free food to all children. But we want to make sure we tick all the other boxes for children that we need in some of these other programs.” . I suspect there are ways to do this, but we are still working on it. “

What if?

Should the district elect not to join the program, not only would the groceries still cost families, but the prices of all meals would likely rise, Towell said.

He said food prices had not increased in two years, while the cost of the food program had increased significantly.

If meals aren’t free for everyone, you should pay more, he said.

Last year, breakfast was $ 2 each across the district unless the student or schools qualified for a free breakfast in some cases. Those who qualified for discounted meals paid 30 cents.

For lunch, the full price of an elementary school meal was $ 2.75. In high school, lunch was $ 3. Reduced pupils and students paid 40 cents for these meals regardless of the grade level.

Towell did not provide any information about how steep a climb could come.

While pricing is a major concern for families, Towell’s office is facing a tight deadline for the required paperwork should the district decide to continue with the regular lunch program as usual.

There’s a deadline in mid-July and its staff would have to make sure families fill out all free or discounted meal requests if they qualify, he said.

Wylie: Free makes a difference

While the Abilene ISD is considering funding issues and implications, there are other issues in the south.

Wylie ISD Superintendent Joey Light said that once he heard about it, the program seemed like a no-brainer and the application will be submitted as soon as it opens to the districts next month.

But, he said, the district’s junior high schools and Wylie High are not currently participating in the National School Lunch Program. Returning under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s requirements for the year will severely cut menus at the school.

“No more Chick-fil-A,” he said, “which the students won’t like. And no Papa Murphys either.

Light said the district stopped attending because students didn’t buy into the menu. But offering free meals can change their approach.

Timothy Chipp is an education coverage and general operations reporter for Abilene Reporter News. If you value local news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription from ReporterNews.com.

source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/free-breakfasts-lunches-a-possibility-for-abilene-wylie-students/