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The lunchroom might be a testament to the tough economy.
A report released last week by the Omaha Public Schools shows that more than 67 percent of its 49,000 students receive a free or reduced-cost school lunch. Last year, it was about 62 percent. A jump of that magnitude is rare.
Qualification for free or reduced-cost lunch is determined by a family’s income.
The qualification for a free lunch this year is an annual income of $28,665 for a family of four. Reduced-cost lunch of 40 cents is provided to children from a family of four that makes between $28,665 and $40,793.
Any school in the country that participates in the federal meal program must follow those guidelines.
Families apply for the meal program voluntarily, and the application status is valid for the entire school year.
Most states and schools use participation in the federal lunch program to determine a school’s overall poverty level. Because of that, the Douglas-Sarpy County learning community’s open enrollment plan and the Omaha district’s internal student movement plan use individual students’ lunch status to determine their school choices.
The report shows that within OPS, a higher percentage of students from every ethnic group participates in the lunch program. In all, 32,985 OPS students receive either free or reduced-cost lunch this year. That number exceeds the Millard Public Schools’ overall enrollment by more than 10,000 students.
Contact the writer:
444-1037, michaela.saunders@owh.com
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