All students of Asheville City Schools (ACS) could eat for free next year, regardless of family household income.
Staff will submit an application next year to join the federal Community Eligibility Program, which reimburses the district for ensuring every student can eat breakfast and lunch free at school without having to fill out any paperwork.
The Asheville City Board of Education directed staff to apply for the program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at its regular meeting March 10.
The move could cost ACS more in the short term, but eventually staff hopes the program will break even, said Heidi Kerns, chief financial officer for ACS. The key is high participation rates, which prompt more federal assistance, relieving — or even eliminating — the need for local support.
The meal program now runs a $500,000 deficit after the water outage after Tropical Storm Helene severely limited schools’ serving options, increased costs and lowered participation, she said. About one-third of ACS students eat lunch from the school, and 11% of students eat the schools’ breakfasts.
Like many districts, the ACS’s nutrition program has operated at a significant loss, but COVID-era federal assistance and then Helene-related assistance helped support the program. According to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), 64 out of 115 school districts in the state operate at a deficit, Kerns added.
ACS shifted away from handling school meals in-house in 2023, hiring New York-based food service provider Chartwells to manage the program with the hope that its meals would boost student participation.
If the program helps increase participation by 10%, the district’s losses shrink to $40,000 a year, Kerns told the board at a Feb. 3 work session. With a 20% increase, losses are virtually eliminated, she added.
Under the program, ACS will receive $4.54 for every student that qualifies for free meals, and 53 cents for every meal for students who pay for meals. Districtwide, 44% of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. NCDPI told districts that they could not break even if at least 60% of its population qualified for a reduced rate, Kerns told the board.
But ultimately, staff members believe the benefits outweigh the risks and are betting that enough students will switch to eating at school when the meals become free, thus justifying the change, Kerns noted.
Enrolling in the program will also eliminate the need for students to apply for free or reduced-price lunch and staff hours to manage applications. School officials also won’t have to harangue families when students don’t pay for meals that they eat, Kerns added.
Elementary school students pay $3.25 for lunch, while middle and high schoolers pay $3.50 at ACS schools. Breakfast costs $1.50 districtwide.
Editor’s note: This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Reporting and Editing.
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