Robbinsville – An increase in the school meal reimbursement rate means an increase of an estimated $37,125 for Graham County Schools.
The 25-cent increase is for school lunches only, said Lester Greene, director of finance for Graham County Schools.
He said Graham County Schools serve approximately 825 lunches per day and attend school 180 days a year.
“That would compute to 148,500 lunches per year,” Greene noted. “With an increase of 25 cents per lunch, our revenues should increase approximately $37,125.
“But, this is an unofficial estimate. We’ll see the actual revenue increase when we submit our monthly reimbursement for January, during the first week of February.”
A financial audit of Graham County Schools released last week concluded that the school district is operating “paycheck-to-paycheck” and needs an annual infusion of $100,000 per year from Graham County, on top of the $1 million the county already chips in.
The school system operates with funding from numerous federal and state agencies as well as fund-raisers, lottery funds that go to infrastructure, ticket receipts from home games, etc.
Some additional funding has been available due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that money is expected to cease once conditions return to pre-pandemic levels.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture adjusted school meal reimbursements to help schools continue to serve children healthy and nutritious meals. This move will put an estimated $750 million more into school meal programs across the nation this year, making sure federal reimbursements keep pace with food and operational costs, while ensuring children continue to receive healthy meals at school.
“USDA understands that balancing the pressures of the pandemic with the need to feed children healthy and nutritious meals continue to be a priority for schools across the country,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
School lunch reimbursement rates usually do not increase during the school year. However, this year, due to the pandemic, the department allowed schools to benefit from the highest rates available, which are normally reserved for the the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program. By law, these summer rates adjust for inflation annually in January, the department announced in a news release.
This adjustment is timed to ensure the purchasing power of schools keeps pace with the cost of living. Schools receiving these reimbursement rates can stretch their operating budgets further during these tough times, while giving families fewer meal expenses to worry about each school day.
At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, the Summer Food Service Program lunch reimbursement rate for participating schools was already 15 percent higher than the standard reimbursement for a free lunch, according to the department. Now, because of higher food costs and other circumstances, schools will receive an additional 25 cents per lunch.
Taken together, schools are receiving 22 percent more for school lunches than they would under normal conditions.