School meal debt surges in schools across the state

It's a problem on many schools' plates right now: soaring school meal debt.

"Nationwide, more than 90% of school districts that have to charge for meals are reporting challenges with unpaid meal debt," Diane Pratt-Heavner, spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association, said.

Heavner said that when families are unable to pay for their child's meals, school districts are left to pick up the tab - costs that are not usually included in school budgets.

"That cuts into education funding. Funding for band uniforms and all kinds of things that support students' success," Pratt-Heavner said.

And it's proving to be an expensive tab. Schools across 50 districts in the state owe more than $366,000 in school meal debt right now, according to a midyear meal report by the School Nutrition Association of Connecticut.

Three schools in Groton are currently looking at a combined $33,000 in school meal debt. Food Service Coordinator Kristina Roberge said with three and half more months of school left, that number will likely more than double.

"By the end of the year, we expect our negative balances to be close to $75,000 to $80,000," Roberge said.

Margaret Dreher, director of nutrition services for Avon, Canton and Regional 10 Schools, said her districts are dealing with the same issue.

"I may have ended the year previously with maybe $1,500 in negative debt. In these districts, I'm either at $15,000 or over $20,000 in negative debt," Dreher said.

After the pandemic, many schools in Connecticut returned to their paid-meal models, putting the financial burden on families who once benefited from the assistance.

According to the USDA, a family of four in Connecticut has to make less than $39,000 a year to qualify for free and reduced meals, but experts say that threshold is too low.

"The free and reduced meal application form only takes into account income and not expenses," Heavner said. "So, a family that might be going through a medical crisis and dealing with high healthcare costs may not qualify for benefits but are still struggling to pay those basic expenses."

Experts we spoke to say only nine states offer free school meals for all students, but Connecticut is not one of those states.

Many advocates believe school meals should be provided just like bus transportation, textbooks and laptops are provided as it directly impacts a students' academic performance.

"I feel personally we need to change the conversation that meals are just part of the school day, just like Chromebooks, anything like that," Dreher said.