NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Schools across Kansas, including Buhler USD 313 are being told that the pandemic related lunch programs from the USDA will be ending.
"The information coming from the state department of education is that program will be discontinued June 30," said Buhler USD 313 Superintendent Cindy Couchman. "That means, next year, everyone getting free lunches, that program will stop, along with any district being able to offer free lunches. Although, Hutchinson USD 308 and some other area schools qualify. Hutch will have their summer lunch program for sure. Buhler will not have their summer lunch program."
Buhler does not have enough students that qualify for the free or reduced lunch program to have a summer site under the pre-COVID program guidelines.
"All the school districts will go back to the free and reduced form that you had to qualify for, where you gave your income and then you could qualify for free and reduced lunches," Couchman said. "There are so many mixed feelings about that, because that was sure helpful for all our families. What a blessing that was financially for many of our families."
The free and reduced lunch form is a proxy for the overall poverty level of a district, so many federal and state programs tie their funding to that number.
"That does help, in many ways, our at-risk numbers and the way we qualify for our title money," Couchman said. "It's a double edged sword, for sure."
A student from a household with an income at or below 130 percent of the poverty income threshold is eligible for free lunch. A student from a household with an income between 130 percent and up to 185 percent of the poverty threshold is eligible for reduced price lunch. 133% of the poverty level for a family of four using 2022 poverty numbers is $36,908. 185 percent is $51,338.