More Idaho students qualify for free school meals

IDAHO FALLS (AP) - One out of every two Idaho students qualified for free and reduced-price lunches in 2011, according to the state Department of Education.

The agency reports 50 percent of students were eligible to receive subsidized school meals last year. That's up from 2008, when 37 percent qualified for meals through the federal nutrition program, according to a story published Thursday in the Post Register.

Idaho's child nutrition programs director Colleen Fillmore blamed the increase on the recession and the economy's fragile recovery, saying more families need financial help than in previous years. A spike in families getting federal help to buy groceries also played a role.

Students in families receiving food stamps automatically qualify for the federal lunch program. In Idaho, food stamp recipients hit a record benchmark late last year when 235,000 people were receiving the federal aid during the month of November.

While the increase in students qualifying for subsidized lunches indicates higher poverty among Idaho families, it also allows public schools to secure more federal funding for programs that benefit kids from low-income families.

Sometimes pride holds families back from applying for free or reduced-price lunches, said Bruce Roberts, deputy superintendent for Bonneville public schools.

"One tactic we use is letting them know that part of our funding ... is dependent on free and reduced (lunch) numbers," he said.

Kids qualify for free lunches through a national USDA program if their family falls within 130 percent of the federal poverty level. That means kids in a family of four with an annual household income of $29,000 or less will be eligible for free lunches.

Students in a family of four with a yearly income of $41,000 or less would qualify for a reduced-price meal. The federal government provides financial incentives for schools to enroll as many qualifying families as possible in the program, said district officials in southeastern Idaho.

For example, the number of kids enrolled in the federal lunch program helps determine how much federal money an individual school will get to spend on programs for students from low-income families. These Title 1 funds are critical to the education process, said Madison School District Superintendent Geoffrey Thomas.

"Without it, we wouldn't be able to provide the programs, personnel or the assistance that we can provide now," Thomas said.