By Jaiya Brown, FOX23.com News Staff
OWASSO, Okla – As families across Oklahoma brace for the costs that come with the start of a new school year, some school districts say more parents are turning to free and reduced-price meals to help keep their children fed.
Districts across the state report growing need as the cost of everyday essentials continues to rise, with some families relying on school meals to help put food on the table.
In Owasso Public Schools, about 40 percent of the district’s 10,000 students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Jon Beckloff, the district’s director of child nutrition, said the need is evident even in communities that are often viewed as well-off.
“Which you know Owasso is an affluent town, but we still have a decent level of poverty or folks that are needing the assistance,” Beckloff said.
Beckloff said some families who need help still struggle to qualify because the application is based on gross income rather than what families take home after expenses.
“Yeah, we’re definitely seeing, I would say a lot more desperation is what I’m seeing. It’s it’s the families that need to qualify. They’re struggling to get qualified either because of the expenses, the debt. One of the things that we see is that the free and reduced application looks at gross income, not net income, and so it doesn’t take into account your expenses. It just looks at income only, and so that’s the flaw in the system,” Beckloff said.
He said Owasso sent applications out earlier than usual this year and is already seeing more parents apply, including new students and first-time families who have never applied before.
School leaders say the trend is not limited to larger districts. In Barnsdall Public Schools, 43 percent of students currently receive free or reduced lunches, and Superintendent Dr. Sayra Bryant said that number is expected to rise as more applications come in.
“43 receive free or reduced lunches. By the time we get applications in, that will go up to around 67,” Bryant said.
Bryant said in a small district, staff often know families personally and work to connect them with resources so students can come to school healthy and ready to learn.
“We we do everything in a small district, and we know like I know these families. So if I don’t if I don’t have the resources, I’m going to call someone to help you get what you need because ultimately we need that student to be at school and we need them to be healthy and not hungry. They need to be. They can’t learn if they are. So that’s our responsibility,” Bryant said.
Districts say they encourage every family to complete a free and reduced-price meal application, even if they are unsure they qualify. School leaders say changes in income could make a family eligible this year, and applications also help schools receive funding for programs that support students.
