Superintendent Press Release March 28, 2025
Dear Cedar Bluffs Families,
Ensuring our students have access to nutritious school meals is not just a matter of food—it’s a matter of academic success, health, and community well-being. The National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs (NSLP/SBP) play a crucial role in providing students with the healthiest meals they eat all day, supporting working families struggling with inflation, and strengthening our local economy by purchasing U.S.-grown foods.
However, these essential programs face significant challenges. A recent survey by the School Nutrition Association (SNA) found that nearly all school meal program directors report serious struggles with the rising cost of food, labor shortages, and the need for updated equipment. The financial strain is so severe that only one in five believe federal meal reimbursements are enough to cover the actual cost of providing meals. More than 92 percent of school nutrition directors fear that their programs will not be financially sustainable within the next three years.
To address these concerns, the School Nutrition Association urges Congress to take immediate action. One of the most urgent needs is an increase in the reimbursement rates for school meals. Currently, federal reimbursements do not keep up with rising food prices and operational costs. An increase of 40 cents per lunch and 15 cents per breakfast would help districts meet the expenses associated with maintaining high nutrition standards, purchasing food, and hiring staff.
Another critical issue is the protection and expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This program allows high-poverty schools to provide free meals to all students, eliminating stigma and reducing paperwork while ensuring that no child goes hungry. Unfortunately, there is a proposal to raise the CEP eligibility threshold from 25 percent to 60 percent, which would remove 24,000 schools serving 12 million students from the program. Without CEP, more students will face food insecurity, and schools will be forced to navigate complex administrative burdens to determine meal eligibility.
Unpaid school meal debt is also an escalating crisis. Many families who do not qualify for free meals still struggle to afford them, leading to a growing financial burden on school districts. As of November 2024, the median school meal debt had reached $6,900, marking a 25.6 percent increase from the previous year and a shocking 102.9 percent increase since 2018. Over 96 percent of school districts that charge for meals report challenges with unpaid meal debt, which diverts already limited educational funds away from classrooms and into covering food service losses.
There are also alarming proposals to impose restrictions that would severely impact school meal programs. These include limiting CEP access, requiring income verification for every free and reduced-price meal application, and eliminating Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (BBCE). Ending BBCE would mean that children in families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would no longer automatically qualify for free school meals, putting approximately one million students at risk of losing access to the nutrition they need to succeed. Additionally, requiring full income verification for every school meal application would overwhelm school districts with paperwork, delay benefits for eligible children, and increase unpaid meal debt.
The importance of nutritious school meals cannot be overstated. Research consistently shows that students who have access to healthy meals perform better in school, demonstrate improved focus and behavior, and experience reduced rates of obesity and other chronic health conditions. School meal programs are a critical investment in the well-being and academic success of our children, and we must ensure that they remain fully funded and accessible to all students.
We cannot afford to let these vital programs be weakened. I urge our school community to stay informed and advocate for policies that protect and expand school meal access. For more information, visit SchoolNutrition.org/PositionPaper.
Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our students.
Have a great weekend - Wildcat Pride!