This past academic year, Kenton County Schools introduced a free meals program, and officials are touting its success.
The universal meal program, which provides breakfast and lunch at no cost to every student in the district, was on full display during Monday’s school board meeting when district leaders presented the number of students – and other figures – who now receive meals under the program.
“Last year in our district, we served 2,013,527 meals,” said Assistant Superintendent of Operations Brian Vanover. “At this rate, we are projected to serve 330,000 more than that. That’s a lot of food.”
This is the first academic year the district has implemented the program, which is officially called the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, program, in every school in the district. Previously, nine schools offered the program.
This federal program is aimed at helping student populations with high numbers of families who rely on federal assistance.
A district becomes eligible when at least 25% of the student population relies on food stamps, TANF (a program that provides subsidies for childcare as well as cash assistance for eligible families) or is identified as being either in foster care or experiencing homelessness. The federal government expanded the eligibility threshold from requiring 40% of the student population meet the requirements to 25% of the student population in October of 2023.
“It went from 40% to 25%,” said Superintendent Henry Webb. “That’s what enabled us to do this.”
“Right now, actually, our current average our district is 41.85%,” said Vanover.
The program is based on reimbursements. The district tracks meals eaten as part of the program (extra, a la carte items aren’t eligible), submits the numbers to the federal government, which then reimburses the district.
Its universality, Vanover said, had several benefits. Since everyone is eligible, there’s no onerous application process or means testing, which cuts down on paperwork and administrative labor. Likewise, universal eligibility reduces the stigma some students can experience when receiving free lunch (thus outing their family’s income level). It also eliminates the need to keep track of uncollected meal charges.
Plus, it increases the overall revenue for the district.
“We’re not just breaking even, we’re actually making money,” said Director of Student Nutrition Jennifer Notton after the meeting. “So, we’ll be able to start replacing some equipment that’s getting really aged out.”
Vanover projected the number of meals served on the wall; most metrics showed increases. He admitted that much of the increase came from the fact that more schools were now participating in the program, but the overall trends showed that more kids participated with each subsequent month.
In short, more and more students were getting reliable access to food with fewer barriers. Having a reliable food source is important for student success, Vanover said, citing statistics to make his case.
One 2013 study from Deloitte found that students who ate breakfast scored higher on standardized tests and had better attendance overall. One in five students in the U.S. lacks reliable access to food, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Vanover didn’t mention this, but 14.5% of Kentucky households are food insecure, higher than the national average of 12.2%, according to an analysis pulling from several federal data sources.
You can use the interactive map below to drill down and compare averages with other states.
Board President Jesica Jehn commended the program’s expansion and asked a very important question: “What is the favorite menu item?”
“If they [the students] could have it their way, it’s anything chicken tender, chicken nugget, chicken patty,” Notton said. “But we do have a mix. But they know Wednesday they’re always going to have that as an option.”
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