Most of the free and reduced-lunch controversy in North Carolina has taken place in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, but the issue was also raised recently by a school board member in Wake County.
From a report today in the N&O about rising school lunch prices:
At that meeting, school board member Ron Margiotta grilled [Marilyn Bottoms Moody, senior director of Child Nutrition Services for Wake County Public] about reports in the Carolina Journal, a weekly publication owned by the conservative John Locke Foundation. The Journal reported that a school district audit resulted in 64 percent of families losing or getting reduced lunch benefits.
The federal government requires school districts to audit 3 percent of families receiving subsidized lunches whose incomes are very close to the limits for determining eligibility.
For instance, federal guidelines say a family of four can receive a free school lunch if the annual income is less than $27,560 or a reduced-price lunch of 40 cents if they earn less than $39,220.
Moody said it was more likely that those families would have problems because they’re so close to the income limits. She said families may have mistakenly rounded their weekly income wrong.
“Why would you deprive a child who is hungry for $2.57 per day?” Moody told board members.
The latest CJ story on school lunch can be found here.
