School Meal Programs

School Meal Programs

Author: United States Government Accountability Office

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2017-10-20

Total Pages: 38

ISBN-13: 9781978458734

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School Meal Programs: Revenue and Expense Information from Selected States


Universal-type School Meal Programs

Universal-type School Meal Programs

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13:

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Senate Resolution 303 requested the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report on the feasibility of a universal-type school lunch and breakfast program. This report examines five alternative administrative structures for a universal-type program that would reimburse all meals at a single rate, regardless of household income status. The report considered seven factors in evaluating alternatives: impact on student participation; fees and local revenues; administrative feasibility; paperwork reduction; and impact on integrity. The report's major findings are as follows: universal free options either increase federal costs or cut low-income participation; almost half the cost of a universal free system would go to reimburse meals that would be served under current law; the increase in total meals served under a universal system would be very modest compared to the additional federal cost; most of the additional federal cost goes to subsidize meals served to upper-income children; administrative savings are small relative to increased federal costs; limited implementation of universal-free or no-fee programs can increase low-income participation at more modest federal costs; using the tax system to offset the cost of a universal free program increases the complexity of the meal counting and claiming process; counting school meal benefits as income for tax purposes would recover less than one-fourth of the additional federal cost of a universal lunch program.


School Meal Programs

School Meal Programs

Author: Kay Brown

Publisher:

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

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In fiscal year 2008, about 31 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program and more than 10 million children participated in the School Breakfast Program each school day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) spent $11.7 billion on the school meal programs in that year. The majority of school meals are provided for free or at a reduced price to low-income students. Some states and school districts have chosen to implement programs that eliminate the reduced-price fee (known as ERP programs) and instead provide free meals to students eligible for the reduced fee. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to provide information on (1) what is known about the states and districts that have eliminated the reduced-price fee for school meals; (2) the experiences of states and districts that have ERP programs with respect to participation, errors, and costs; and (3) the factors that may help or hinder the establishment or continuation of ERP programs. To obtain this information, GAO interviewed FNS officials, interviewed officials from state- and district-level programs, and conducted a Web-based survey of the 35 districts identified as having ERP programs. However, because the universe of ERP programs is unknown, survey results cannot be generalized to all districts with ERP programs. USDA did not provide formal written comments, but FNS provided technical comments, which were incorporated where appropriate. Appended to this report are (1) Objectives, Scope, and Methodology; (2) Universal Free Meals Programs under Alternative USDA Special Assistance Provisions; and (3) GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments. (Contains 10 tables, 8 figures, and 44 footnotes.).