The federal government shutdown is causing the Newton Municipal School District to look at options for extending its school lunch funding.
Pam Cox, NMSD food service coordinator, said the district currently has enough money to get through the end of March if the federal government doesn’t reimburse any of the district’s expenses.
“We have enough to get us into March if nothing changes,” Cox said to the Newton Municipal School Board during a meeting Jan. 17. “After that, we will have to go into reserves to help supplement it.”
One option that Cox brought to the table is they could modify school lunches to help extend the reserves for six months. Currently, the district offers two entrees, three vegetables, a fruit and a dessert.
A modified school lunch menu would reduce the entrée option to one with three vegetables, a fruit and a dessert.
“The entrée is the most expensive item on the menus,” Cox said. “This might not be something we do every day. Perhaps, we only do it one or two days a week, but it’s something we could do to help us get through the shutdown.”
Also at breakfast, Cox said they could go from offering three options and reduce it to two, one hot and one cold food.
Board member Jhaddaka Leverette questioned whether Cox could find the food for the district any cheaper than they are doing.
Cox said the district is in a contract with the state co-op program, and that every school district purchases from the same vendor.
Cox said she would bring the options to the school board at the next meeting in February. All of these plans were put in place before President Donald Trump and Congress agreed on a three-week deal to reopen the government.
Cox said they will not modify the lunch or breakfast menus until after Feb. 15, after they see how their funds are.
“We are just watching to see how things go,” Cox said, “but nothing has changed at this time.”
Cox did add that once the shutdown has permanently ended, the district will be reimbursed for all of their costs, but they are just having to make it until those reimbursements come in.
When the district’s finances recover the federal reimbursements, Cox said they will end the modified menus.
