As waivers for free school meals end, West Lafayette schools adjust rates
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The prices of school-provided meals through specific West Lafayette schools will be changing for the 2022-2023 school year, the West Lafayette Community School Corporation board discussed Monday.
WLCSC campuses participate in the National School Lunch Program, which receives its funding from two sources: student-paid funding and U.S. Department of Agriculture reimbursement based on the number of students who qualify and take part in free, reduced or paid meals.
In the 2019-2020 year, before the COVID-19 pandemic, students paid $2.65 for lunch at West Lafayette Elementary School; $2.85 at West Lafayette Intermediate School; and $2.95 at the Jr/Sr high school. Breakfast overall was $2.10.
Based on eligibility status during the 2019-2020 year, the USDA reimbursed $0.31 per breakfast in West Lafayette; $0.32 for each lunch at the elementary school; $0.32 per lunch at the intermediate school; and $0.32 per lunch at the Jr/Sr high school.
In September 2020, the USDA created waivers that allowed all students to eat free, despite eligibility status. During this time, WLCSC schools were reimbursed $2.60 for each breakfast and $2.56 per lunch.
These waivers expired at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. As such, increased meal costs with decreased USDA reimbursement is on WLCSC's plate for the 2022-2023 school year.
The calculations of how much schools are reimbursed per meal are released each year. As of Monday's meeting, the USDA had not yet released those rates. As such, Courtney FitzSimons, food service director for WLCSC, has created calculations based on the 2021-2022 reimbursement rates if WLCSC had not elected to offer meals for free. This is an example of a somewhat worst-case scenario in terms of potential reimbursement rates.
"I am suggesting $2.25 (for breakfast) at each school," FitzSimons said, "$3 (for lunch) at the elementary and the intermediate, and then $3.25 at the high school...With a 15 cent, or 7% increase in breakfast prices, we will still lose 3 cents per meal, which ends up being about a 1% decrease for breakfast (overall).
"As for lunch, an increase of 25 cents at the elementary, or about an 8% increase, and 15 cents at the intermediate, or about 5% increase, we could potentially still lose up to $1.14 per meal; which is 25% of what we received last year."
FitzSimons pointed out that the food service department is a fully self-sufficient department – everything is paid for from the sales of meals and a la carte food.
"....So, as you can see, next year is going to be quite a challenge...Our funds are not supplemented by the corporation, and ideally we would stay that way," FitzSimons said. "We'll be monitoring our fund balance closely, and looking for any negative trends that might appear and we'll make necessary changes as needed."
While these reimbursement rates may change, the approved recommendations for breakfast and lunch prices for WLCSC schools will be in effect for the 2022-2023 year.
FitzSimons ended on more positive notes, such as stating that the proposed reimbursements are a worst-case scenario, and that reimbursement rates for next year could potentially be higher than expected.
Additionally, the food service department has four and a half months' worth of operating costs in its fund balance – higher than the three-month requirement. A strong sense of unity among the food service department team was also highlighted by FitzSimons.
"The staff is the best of the best," FitzSimons said, "and they continue to grow stronger as they gain more experience. I'm extremely proud of our team and the work that we do to continue to strive for high quality meals for students."
Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: As waivers for free school meals end, West Lafayette schools adjust rates
