How it works ADVERTISING How it works When students pay for a school lunch in Hawaii, they’re footing about half the $5.50 meal bill — at most. Federal and state money covers the remaining amount. Federal reimbursement rates vary depending
How it works
How it works
When students pay for a school lunch in Hawaii, they’re footing about half the $5.50 meal bill — at most. Federal and state money covers the remaining amount. Federal reimbursement rates vary depending on whether a student qualifies for free or reduced-priced meals. The state covers about 42 percent of the total lunch cost.
In all, the state operates under about a $110 million annual food service budget, about $63 million of which is federal funds, $27 million state funds and $20 million sales.
The state serves about 100,000 meals per day, which includes about 19,850 on the Big Island.
Lunch menus statewide also look pretty similar. That’s because all public schools in Hawaii follow a standard, three-week menu (though there are alternative options) which is set each year by a state menu planning committee.
When
students can’t afford to pay
The standard price tag for school lunches in Hawaii ranges from $2.50 to $2.75 per meal depending on a student’s grade level. However, those who qualify for subsidized or free lunches (students qualified this year for the program if their total family-of-four income was $51,708 or less) pay either nothing or just 40 cents per meal.
This year, just more than 57 percent of students in the Hilo-Waiakea Complex Area received free or reduced-priced meals. In the Honokaa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area, that number was just more than 61 percent. In the Ka‘u-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area, it was nearly 93 percent, higher than any other complex area in the state.
Because of that high number of low-income students, every school in the Ka‘u-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area now features the Community Eligibility Program, another federal meal program which is designed to increase lunch participation at high-poverty schools. The program allows every student at a participating school to eat for free regardless of whether they qualify for free or subsidized meals.
The CEP program was piloted in Hawaii two years ago and operated at 30 schools statewide this year. Next year, the state is expanding it to 52 schools, including several on the Big Island:
• Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School
• Hilo Union Elementary School
• Honaunau Elementary School
• Hookena Elementary School
• Keaukaha Elementary School
• Ke Kula O Ehunuikaimalino
• Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Elementary and Intermediate School
• Waimea Elementary School
Lawmakers also passed a bill this year which will prohibit public schools from denying a student a meal solely for being unable to pay. The new rule takes effect within the first 21 days of the first semester, when a student’s free or reduced-lunch application is being processed. It also takes effect within seven days after a student’s meal fund account balance reaches zero or is negative.
Other meal
programs
The lunch program is actually one of several federal child nutrition programs operating in Hawaii. Others include: a school breakfast program, an after-school snack program, a fresh fruit and vegetable program and a special milk program, which reimburses schools for milk served to half-day kindergarten pupils and other students who don’t eat lunch.
Many schools also offer a federal summer meals program, designed to continue giving kids — particularly those who are low income — nutritious meals once school is out.
Hawaii’s summer meal participation reportedly has improved in recent years but still lags behind other states.
A report released last summer showed only about 8.4 percent of the roughly 64,139 Hawaii students who ate meals during the 2014-15 school year opted to take advantage of summer meals, though that was up from 4,243 meals served the previous year.
This year’s summer meals program begins in June. A site schedule will be released in the coming weeks. Last year, 15 Big Island schools participated.
The state Department of Education also says about 40 percent of fruits, vegetables and protein served as part of all Hawaii’s federal meal programs are procured locally. Remaining products are purchased from the mainland and Latin America.
