A program that provides free school meals to all pupils in high-poverty neighborhoods will be the main driver in boosting participation in the school lunch and school breakfast program, says the Agriculture Department. In its proposed budget for fiscal 2016, USDA forecasts average lunch participation of 30.3 million students daily, up 100,000 from the current year, and school breakfast of 14.6 million students daily, up 600,000. Some 14,000 schools (just over half of those eligible) with 6.4 million students presently participate in the “community eligibility provision.”
During a news conference, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack deferred comment on changes to child-nutrition programs, due for a five-year reauthorization by Congress this year, preferring to talk about proposals for the near term. Those proposals include a request for $35 million to help schools purchase equipment to prepare healthier school meals, and plans to expand a summer food program for school-age children.
Over 90 percent of schools meet requirements that they serve more nutritious food under standards set by a 2010 law, Vilsack said when asked about complaints that many rural schools struggle with the mandate. Some schools, particularly those with declining enrollment, may find the new rules challenging, he said, but USDA provides assistance, including the grants for new equipment and a “Team Up” initiative under which schools that are further along help those that are struggling.
The USDA said it expects food-stamp enrollment to average 45.7 million during fiscal 2016, which begins on Oct. 1, a decrease of 1 percent from current levels. The program would cost $83.7 billion, which is higher than the current year due to rising food costs.