Changes could affect more than 120,000 W.Va. households
Even if the proposed change to the Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program goes through, students in Monongalia County who receive free or subsidized lunches will not go hungry.
“We have no intention of not feeding our kids,” said Monongalia County School Superintendent Eddie Campbell.
The same is true in Preston County, where every one of the 4,500 students receives a free meal.
“As the superintendent in a rural county, I have great concerns with anything that would jeopardize securing meals for our students,” Preston County Superintendent Stephen Wotring said in an email.
“All research indicates the importance of nutrition in preparing kids to learn,” he said. “For some, the meals at school are the only solid meals our students get. I feel strongly that we must find ways to ensure that our students are not a bargaining chip in a much larger game and that we must continue to ensure that students are provided the meals they need during the times they are with us.”
With the proposed changes to the federal SNAP program, it is estimated more than 120,000 West Virginia households could be affected by eliminating broad-based categorical eligibility. It could also negatively impact the amount of federal funds schools in West Virginia receive.
Campbell said Monongalia Schools joined other school superintendents from across the country to lobby against the possible funding cuts.
If the change goes through, it could result in an increase in unpaid lunch bills, said Campbell, adding that 5,000 of the district’s 12,000 students receive free lunches. Of that total, 4,000 families have to fill out paperwork with the government to receive those lunches.
“It’s one of our biggest expenses,” he said.
If the number of directly certified — and eligible — students decreases and they are not picked up by another federal direct certification indicator, then school districts may have to stop implementing the Community Eligibility Provision — a federal meal pricing benefit available to areas of high need.
There is at least one school in each of the state’s 55 counties that is CEP eligible. For the 2019-23 school year, 43 of the state’s counties have implemented the CEP for all students, meaning that breakfasts and lunches are free, and 10 counties have elected CEP partially, meaning some schools qualify and others do not. Two counties operate under the traditional method of free and reduced meal applications.
“The proposed rule changes are concerning with nearly one million individuals estimated to be affected nationally,” Amanda Harrison, executive director of Department of Education Office of Child Nutrition, said in a statement. “We know that hungry children do not perform at their best and when we meet the nutritional needs of our students, student achievement increases.”
According to the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, the Trump administration wants to end the ability of states to adjust their SNAP programs to better suit the needs of its residents, a move that would take $19 million out of the state and local economies.
In July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the proposal would remove a person’s automatic enrollment in the program if the recipient already applied for other state benefit programs. The government said the plan could save taxpayers $2.5 billion annually and reduce fraud.
West Virginia last year increased its income limit from 130% to 200% of the federal poverty line, $25,750 for a family of four.
The state Department of Education has said it will submit comments to the USDA outlining the potential impact on students. Additionally, the state is exploring other options so no student goes hungry.
