The national school lunch program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is well-known throughout the country for providing freed or reduced lunches to qualifying children. The USDA normally provides adequate funding for school districts whose children qualify for the program, with the 2021-2022 school year being different than most. In the wake of the economic damage caused by COVID-19, school districts have received additional funding to ensure their children are taken care of. Does this mean you should stop collecting application information, or are there ways you can maximize state and federal funding? Why Income Surveys are Essential...
Paperwork Hurdles Left Behind as Texas School District Streamlines Meal Application Processing
Vivianne Lasala remembers when meeting the 10-day deadline for processing meal applications often meant chasing down parents for a bit of last-minute information missing from their paper forms. Among her other duties, the child nutrition accountant for the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District had to ensure that no box was overlooked as school nutrition officials raced against the clock to get all the applications for the free and reduced meal program completed. “We used to send the paper applications back because the parent or guardian would forget a significant date or income,” Lasala said. Today, the district uses RocketScan software and an...