Florida Needs Extra $63M for School Meal Reimbursements

The Florida Department of Education is asking for almost $62.8 million in additional funding for its Food and Nutrition Services Trust Fund to reimburse local meal programs for vastly increased numbers of students qualifying for free and reduced price school lunches this fiscal year. Also on the rise are the number of schools, programs and other "sponsors" that are providing the meals, both during the school year and during the summer. The number of children qualifying for the subsidized meals has been increasing dramatically since the beginning of the current economic downturn, leading to an estimated increase of almost $54 million in claimed reimbursements in the 2008-09 school year. Another $9 million in additional expenses was generated by the addition of 31 new sponsors to the program and because of changes in the program itself.