The Manitowoc Public School District is again looking at its school lunch program.
At last week’s meeting, the school board discussed a memo from Director of Business Services Nathan Mielke explaining that the district exhausted its remaining Fund 50 balance with the federal Community Eligibility Provision program, or CEP.
The fund has also run a deficit since the 2022-2023 school year.
Last Tuesday, the school board began discussing possibly switching to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which would mean some families would have to fill out paperwork to prove financial need and others would have to start paying for meals at the school again.
This doesn’t affect this school year but could change in the 2027-2028 school year.
Board Member Chris Able said he remembered what happened when the district temporarily stopped CEP and how parents fought back in 2023.
He does have some concerns about the switch.
“I want you to understand that the National School Lunch Program does absolutely mean there will be gaps,” he stated. “It does absolutely mean that, in what is actually a fairly horrible image, children will fall through that. And, as a board, we need to decide if or if not that is acceptable.”
Board Member Keith Shaw asked whether a new vendor could make a difference with new meals and options.
Mielke noted that it could make a difference theoretically, but food companies are also affected by rising prices while trying to make many meals for students.
Board Member Mary Lofy Blahnik says what’s coming is a perfect storm, with everything being more expensive.
“We have a pretty tough decision coming up,” she admitted. “I think we all have good intentions, and an opportunity to continue to bring this in front of the board and have these discussions is where things are going to get repeated in the community and in the press. And that we need to continue to work with constituents to answer questions as they come up.”
The school board didn’t take any action, as they are in the early phase of whether they will make the change from CEP to the National School Lunch Program.
The full discussion can be found on the Manitowoc Public School District’s YouTube Channel.
