Students at all elementary schools in the Daviess County Public Schools district will receive free breakfast and lunch meals for the 2023-2024 school year. If the pilot program is deemed sustainable, district leaders hope to eventually phase in the middle and high schools.
The free meals are possible due to DCPS joining the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, a move approved unanimously and with enthusiasm by the DCPS Board of Education during a special called luncheon on Tuesday.
In years past, the cost of meals for DCPS students was based on their family’s income. Some students paid full price ($1.50 for breakfast and $2.50 for lunch), some paid a reduced price, and some qualified for free lunch.
Under the CEP program, all students will receive free meals no matter what their household income is, and families are not required to fill out the free and reduced form.
According to DCPS Food Service Director Connie Beth Fillman, the CEP program is based on “categorical eligibility.” Schools are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Fillman said the identified student percentage must be greater than 40% for a school or district to qualify, but schools can be grouped together.
“It’s actually a very wide range at each school,” she said of the DCPS elementary schools. “That’s why we’ve grouped them all together, because all of them together gets us above that 40% percentage.”
Sara Harley, DCPS director of finance, said that the more students that take advantage of the program (such as eating lunch rather than bringing it from home), the more money DCPS receives. She said other school districts in the program have seen a 12% increase in students eating the free lunches, according to a survey by the USDA.
“We have been studying this because we want to get to the point that the percentage is so high that we will not be having to use general fund money to offset food services,” Harley said.
Fillman added that they can deem the program a success “if we’re not losing money and having to dip into the district’s general fund that should be doing to education.”
Fillman said DCPS has been working for several years to get the program implemented.
“It saves all the families money all school year,” she said. “It’ll help schools, because my managers won’t have to spend any time dealing with meal debt. Kids won’t have to be told that they need to send in more money, parents won’t have to get calls. It will also have a positive impact on their diet quality and academic performance throughout the school day.”
Fillman said the goal is to expand the program to all grade levels, but the middle and high schools don’t qualify yet.
“We’d like to do it as soon as possible. I check these numbers every month and I work with the state,” she said. “So we look at it really frequently to try to make it work. I would love to add in another grade level next year, but we’ll just have to wait and see how our numbers add up.”
Board members were all smiles Tuesday when they heard DCPS was able to get its foot in the door of the program.
“We are thrilled to launch the CEP pilot program in our elementary schools. By providing free breakfast and lunch to all students, we are not only removing financial barriers but also fostering a sense of belonging and equity among our students,” said Superintendent Matt Robbins. “This initiative will greatly impact their health, well-being, and provide pathways to enhance student learning.”
The implementation of the CEP pilot program was made possible through the collaboration between DCPS, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). The USDA administers this program under the National School Lunch Program.
