Demand jumps for school meal help

School officials in the Bigfork area

are noticing a rise in the number of local families and children in

need.

Schools had to submit the number of

students signed up for the federal free and reduced price lunch

program by the end of October to the Montana Office of Public

Instruction, and both the Bigfork School District and Swan River

School have seen a jump in the percentage of students taking

advantage of the program.

Qualifications for the program vary on

income and the size of the household, but a family of four must

have an income of less than $28,665 a year to get free meals and

less than $40,793 a year for meals at reduced prices. Families must

submit forms to be reviewed by the district to enroll in the

program.

BIGFORK

This is the second year in a row that

Bigfork has seen a significant rise in the percentage of students

in the program.

“We’ve jumped again,” business manager

Eda Taylor said.

Both the middle and high school saw

about an 8 percent increase in the number of students in the

program between this school year and last year’s count. The

elementary school saw a smaller change of about 3.4 percent.

Overall, 43.1 percent of students in the Bigfork School District

are enrolled in the program. All of this makes the total increase

from two years ago more than 15 percent at each school. These

percentages will fluctuate as people continue to apply for the

program, but the October count is what OPI will base finances for

the district on for the next school year.

“The biggest thing I see from this is

that we certainly have families who need this support,” Taylor

said. “I certainly hope they are all stepping forward. Anything we

can do to help the community is worth it.”

Across the Valley, Flathead County

school districts are finding similar trends, Taylor said.

“Everyone is seeing the same thing,”

she said.

The number of students in the program

plays several roles in the finances of the school.

It impacts the federal reimbursement

for school breakfasts and lunches. Food service manager Judy Kinyon

submits reports to the state at the end of each month and receives

different amounts of money based on those who eat free and reduced

priced lunches and those who pay in full for their meals.

The biggest impact financially on the

district is on Title I funds, which are based on the economic needs

at the school projected from the percentage enrolled to receive

free and reduced price lunches. This year’s numbers will mean a

bigger Title I budget next year. Title 1 of the federal No Child

Left Behind Act grants funds to help provide extra academic

assistance for students.

“On the one hand, it means we’ve

identified more students who need assistance,” Superintendent

Cynthia Clary said of the increase. “Financially, it means

increasing the benefits that come to Title I.”

Some grants, including for technology,

are geared toward those with higher percentages of those on free

and reduced lunch, so the increases could also make the district

more eligible for other funding sources.

SWAN RIVER

Prior to this year, Swan River School

usually had between 20 and 30 students out of the about 150

enrolled in the school in the free and reduced lunch program, an

amount that meant the school wasn’t considered to be in high

need.

“Not having a high number made us look

like we’re really well off,” Principal Peter Loyda said. “The low

number in free and reduced showed us as a school that didn’t have

needs.”

However, the number of students taking

advantage of the program more than doubled this school year to

total about 70 students.

“I looked at it and wondered, ‘Is that

right?’ And it is,” Loyda said. “That’s huge... I’m pleased parents

actually are using the program. If it helps them, why not take

advantage of it?”

That increase should help the school

out with some additional Title I funds for the next school

year.

“Our Title I numbers are higher than

ever, but we aren’t able to service them,” Loyda said.

The school had to cut back a bit in

that area for this year based on budget constraints. It went from

having one full-time and one half-time employee as well as a couple

of others who were partial Title I workers to the full-time and a

third-time employee. Those who used to partially help with Title

were eliminated or had a position change.

LEAP

Schools aren’t the only organizations

affected by a rise in the percentage of students in need of

assistance.

The LEAP after-school program is also

impacted by the number of kids in the free and reduced price lunch

program. Due to stipulations with its 21st Century Learning Center

grant, LEAP is required to allow every student in the program to

attend its services for free, said director Cathy Gaiser.

Three years ago, that meant about 16

percent of those in the program. Now it’s about 60 percent.

“It’s affected us tremendously,” Gaiser

said. “You can just tell it is difficult for families and kids.

People who have paid (for their kids to attend LEAP) for four years

are now this year on free and reduced lunch.”

That puts LEAP in a funding bind as it

does not get additional funding for having an increased percentage

of students in the program. So, that means its organizers must find

more and alternate funding sources, she said.

“It’s good because it forces us to keep

serving the most needy kids,” Gaiser said. “Luckily at this point

we’ve been able to survive.”

LEAP does, however, get a reimbursement

based on the number of kids in the program for its after-school

snack program, facilitated through the Bigfork School District. For

those who are not enrolled in the free and reduced program, LEAP

gets a reimbursement of 6 cents a day, but for those who are in the

program, the amount ranges from 38 cents to 76 cents. Those higher

reimbursements now allow LEAP to break even on snacks as of

late.

SIGN UP

Parents can still check to see if their

children qualify and apply to the federal free and reduced price

lunch program.

For more information call Swan River

School at 837-4528 or the Bigfork School District at 837-7400.

Bigfork also has the forms online on the “District Office” page at

www.bigfork.k12.mt.us.