By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
The bell will toll for area children next Tuesday, Sept. 3, as area schools open their doors for the 2013-14 year.
And every year, school officials see children coming to school hungry or without sufficient lunch to get them through the day.
Each year, local school districts send students home with income guidelines and applications for their parents to fill out to see if they are eligible for free or reduced lunch services. Most schools in Aroostook County have a large percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Last week, the Maine Department of Education released its eligibility criteria for students to qualify for free or reduced school meals and milk for the 2013-14 academic year.
Students from families whose annual income is equal to or less than the federal income guidelines shown below are eligible for free or reduced price meals or free milk for kindergarten students, or free milk at schools offering only a milk program.
Applications are available to each Maine student on the first day of school as part of a letter from the school describing the nutrition programs offered by that school. Information provided on the application is completely confidential.
A household application must include the names of all adult household members, their total monthly income (before taxes) by source and the signature of an adult. The last four digits of the Social Security number of the signing adult must also be given. A family or a child receiving Food Stamps or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) should list only the name of the child and the case number, and sign the application without completing the income portion of the application.
In certain cases, foster children are eligible for free meals or free milk. For assistance in completing the application for a foster child, the foster parent should contact the child’s school.
All applications are subject to selection for verification. Applications may be completed and sent to a child’s school at any time during the school year.
Parents filing an application with the school will be notified of the outcome of their application for eligibility. If a family is dissatisfied with the decision of the school official, the parent may make a request – either orally or in writing – to the superintendent of schools or administrator of the private school for a hearing to appeal the decision. Each school has copies of the written hearing procedure that may be reviewed by any interested party. Federal and state rules prevent discrimination because of a child’s race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.
School lunch prices vary widely from district to district. The state has set a target of charging $2.80 for full lunch prices and each district raises its prices each year in an effort to reach that target amount.
According to RSU 29 Food Services Director Joyce Smith, breakfast prices for the upcoming school year are $1 for full price and free for any student that qualifies for reduced or free status. Lunch prices will be $2.15 for pre-K to third grade, while those in grades 4-12 will pay $2.40 for full price. The price for reduced lunch is 40 cents for grades pre-K-12.
In RSU 50 (Southern Aroostook and Kathdin) breakfast and lunch prices for 2013-14 are as follows: full price lunches, $1.85 for students in K-5; $1.95 for students in grades 6-8 and $2.10 for students in grades 9-12.
Full price for school breakfast for pre-K to grade 6 is 50 cents while those in grades 7-12 pay $1. Lunches will include a choice of milk and extra milk is priced at 30 cents each.
Adult meal prices are $1.25 for breakfast and $4.25 for lunch. Also, applications are made available for families to determine their eligibility for free and/or reduced meals.
RSU 50 schools have again received a federal grant to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for elementary students outside of the usual breakfast and lunch programs. These items will be offered at varying times on a rotating schedule.
In SAD 70, lunch for grades pre-K-8 is $2.25, while those at the high school pay $2.50. Reduced meals are 40 cents. Breakfast is $1 throughout the district.
Financial guidelines for free, reduced lunch
The 2013-14 school year family size and income guidelines, based on information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, are:
Reduced Priced Meals Free Meals/Milk
Family
Size Yearly Monthly Yearly Monthly
1 $14,937 $1,245 $21,257 $1,772
2 $20,163 $1,681 $28,694 $2,392
3 $25,389 $2,116 $36,131 $3,011
4 $30,615 $2,552 $43,568 $3,631
5 $35,841 $2,987 $51,005 $4,251
6 $41,067 $3,423 $58,442 $4,871
7 $46,293 $3,858 $65,879 $5,490
8 $51,519 $4,294 $73,316 $6,110
For each additional family member, add:
$5,226 $436 $7,437 $620
