All South Lake Tahoe students to receive free breakfast and lunch this year

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched the the Universal School Meals Program which provides free breakfast and lunch to all students in the state, not just for those in the low income bracket.

This is the nation's first free school lunch program.

The program provides $54 million to give 6.2 million public school students in the state a free school lunch for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, along with $650 million in state meal reimbursements for 2022-2023 to cover the costs of offering breakfast and lunch for all students.

"Focusing on student mental health and wellness and critical supports like universal school meals and community schools that provide wraparound programs for families will be essential for facilitating a safe return to in-person learning for the students who have suffered so much during the pandemic," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said in a statement.

In the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, 55-70 percent of students have qualified for free or reduced lunches over that past several years, The District was required to collect paperwork annually from parents that listed income for reimbursement from the State, but that paperwork is no longer required for meals. Prior to the pandemic, a family of four had to make $34,000 a year to qualify for the free lunch and breakfast program, and to qualify for reduced-price meals, that figure was $48,000.

Now everyone can get a free meal during the school week, if desired.

"No questions. No stigma. ALL California kids now have access to free meals at schools," Gov. Newsom tweeted last week.

LTUSD will be asking parents to fill out an alternative household income form though, as many state and federal programs they offer are dependent on those forms being completed in order to receive funds. That form will be provided in "back-to-school" information.

Every student who is under a certain income, learning English, or in foster care generates 20 percent more funding. In districts where at least 55 percent of students fall into these categories, they receive even
more funding. In LTUSD, additional dollars are given to each school
to increase or improve services for these students. Completing the "Household Income Form" ensures schools receives all available funds.

Bread and Broth 4 Kids will continue to offer weekly backpacks of food for weekends to families at each school in LTUSD. Those students are identified by school staff, and the non-profit will provide their own permission form for families to complete.