Schools still need family income data

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

•••

Over the past several decades, "free- and-reduced-price lunch" has become part of the lexicon in education based on income levels of American student households. It's been a standard measure and proxy for poverty — and a key way to figure out eligibility for certain programs.

However, now that all meals are free for Minnesota public school students, some parents think sharing their household financial status is no longer necessary. That's not the case. Families need to complete and return the information because their income data is tied to more than schools meals.

Last March, the Legislature approved and Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation to provide free breakfast and lunch for all students — a move that is estimated to cost the state about $400 million over two years. The free meals program went into effect July 1 and was in place when schools opened beginning in late August. Minnesota joined seven other states that provide free meals for schoolkids.

Supporters of the change expect providing free lunch to improve student health, behavior, attendance and performance. It will also end the stigma associated with receiving free- or reduced-price lunch and end lunch-shaming practices in which students were penalized when their lunch debts were not paid.

According to the advocacy group Hunger Solutions, 1 in 6 students in Minnesota experiences food insecurity. The organization also reports that food shelf visits across the state increased dramatically in 2022. With the state's free breakfast and lunch programs in place, some of the pressure on food shelves should be relieved.

Until now, Minnesota law required parents to apply for free meals through a federal reimbursement program based on their income. Starting this year, districts could also automatically add a student to the benefit rolls if their family qualified for Medicaid. And there are provisions that hold districts harmless for at least the first year. That means no federal or state aid for school meals would be lost initially.

Still, school districts need to collect the Applications for Educational Benefits forms to access a variety of programs.

Scott Croonquist, director of the Associated Metropolitan School Districts, said that in fiscal year 2023 Minnesota schools received $482 million in compensatory aid. That's extra funding that schools receive based on levels of poverty and concentrations of poverty. He told an editorial writer that things tend to lag a year, so families should fill out the information to make sure their students and schools don't miss out on funding opportunities for this year and next year.

During a recent meeting with an editorial writer, several metro-area superintendents also emphasized that they still need household income figures from parents.

At the federal level, Title I and other federal programs have been allocated to schools based on the free- and reduced-price data. Eligibility for other services such as summer food service and federal after school snack and supper programs, student transportation, anti-truancy efforts and English-language learning depend upon having current family income information.

Waivers for fees to participate in extracurricular activities such as sports are also determined based on the benefits forms. And Columbia Heights Superintendent Zena Stenvik noted that qualifying students can have Advanced Placement exams fee waived. A passing score on such exams can mean free college credit for students, which is a huge benefit to students and families.

So as parents receive back-to-school information from their districts, they should pay attention to requests to return the benefits eligibility documents. Even with the state's new free lunch program, additional help for Minnesota students and schools depends on it.