Dare commissioners approve $415K to pay for school meals for all students
Dare County commissioners have approved funding of up to $415,000 to provide school meals for all students at the Manteo and Northern Beach schools at no charge for the rest of the 2024-25 academic year.
The decision comes in the wake of community outcry over students at middle and high schools reportedly being refused service, or even having food taken away after it had already been served, if they exceeded a negative balance of $10 or more on cafeteria charge accounts.
The Board of Education on September 16 approved providing breakfast and lunch for free to all Dare County students for a 30 day period at the Kitty Hawk, First Flight, Nags Head, and Manteo schools at a cost of $44,000.
The money to cover the 30-day period was allocated from the school system’s budget fund balance.
The allocation did not apply to the Cape Hatteras schools, which already offer meals at no charge through a federal reimbursement program.
Under policies of the universal meals plan, students are limited to just a single serving entrée and sides for free, and must pay out of pocket for second helpings and/or extra items.
In just one week, the schools where the free meals are now offered to all have seen an increase of 31% in the number of breakfasts served, and almost 15% growth in lunches, according to Dare County Schools data.
At their meeting Monday, the Board of Commissioners heard from school leaders who outlined the current challenges faced by the district with unpaid meal debt, and low participation rates among students eligible for free and reduced-price meals.
“A hungry child can’t learn,” Superintendent Steve Basnight told the commissioners. “Proper nutrition is coupled with academic success.”
This isn’t just about paying for our students’ meals, it’s an instructional intervention that can improve attendance, performance, and health,” Basnight said.
Basnight emphasized the importance of families completing the free and reduced-price meal application, as it unlocks additional benefits beyond just school meals, including discounts on internet, wireless service, testing fees, and more.
Kelleta Govan, Director of School Nutrition, clarified that under the universal meals program, the district would receive federal reimbursement for qualified students.
By increasing participation in the free and reduced-price meal program, including have those children who qualify getting a meal each day, she said that would further reduce the local funding required.
She also explained that the confidentiality of student meal status is maintained, with no visible distinction between those who get free, reduced, or paid meals.
The district will be ramping up outreach efforts to encourage all eligible families to apply.
Commissioner Rob Ross pointed out the request amounted to just 3/10ths of the county’s overall operating budget for the current fiscal year.
“I have been struggling to find the negative impacts. I have given it a lot of thought. I don’t see this as a frivolous use of our resources,” Ross said. “It is an extremely small sliver of our resources.”
“It has data supporting the incredible benefits to those, frankly, that are perhaps our most important treasure, our kids,” Ross said.
“I have been in the classroom, and I know a child that has been fed does much better in all those areas you mentioned,” said Commissioner Bea Basnight, a former teacher and member of the school board.
Commissioner Danny Couch expressed his support for the program, noting the success of other feeding programs during the summer, and the importance of providing meals for families where parents are working multiple jobs.
He also raised concerns about teachers using their own money to purchase school supplies and asked if the district was doing enough to support teachers in that area.
“Under no circumstance would I ever not want to see a child have a meal at school,” Couch said. “Our kids are the most sacred human beings that live in this county, and they deserve every opportunity afforded to them.”
Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Wally Overman asked about the process for monitoring the cost of the program, and when the county would know if the initial $415,000 estimate was accurate.
Superintendent Basnight explained that the district would provide regular updates, and the funding could be adjusted as needed during the annual budget process.
“It’s on every one of our agendas, ‘How will these decisions impact our children and families?'” said Commissioners Chairman Bob Woodard.
“I know for a fact that there’s been teachers, there’s been principals, that have stepped up to the plate and paid for that child’s meal,” Woodard said. “Our teachers and our principals, they don’t need to be pulling money out of their pocket to provide meals for our kids.”
“Our children, our future, they will be sitting at this dais in future years, I want them to have every single opportunity afforded them, to be able to live and work in Dare County,” Woodard said.
The commissioners unanimously approved the request, with the money to be transferred prior to next week’s expiration of the 30 days of funding by the school board.
County Manager Bobby Outten noted that the $415,000 allocation from this year will be used as a starting point when the 2025-26 budget-writing process for the county begins next winter.
