While All SSISD Elementary Students To Receive Free Meals, Adult Lunch Going Up

All Sulphur Springs Independent School District students from pre-kindergarten and Head Start through fifth graders will receive free school meals this year. However, faculty and visitors will pay more during the 2019-2020 school year when purchasing meals at SSISD campuses.

SSISD Child Nutrition Department earlier this month announced additional campuses qualify for the Community Eligibility Provisions program. Douglass Early Childhood Learning Center, Barbara Bush Elementary, Bowie Primary, Lamar Primary, Travis Primary and Sulphur Springs Learning Center will provide breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students attending these campuses during the 2019-2020 school year. Participating in the CEP program also means parents won’t have to fill out and return meal applications for free, reduced-price, and paid student meals.

“This new approach reduces burdens for both families and school administrators and helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals,” notes SSISD Child Nutrition Program Director Veronica Arnold.

Because SSMS and SSHS do not qualify for the CEP program, students enrolled at these campuses will still need to complete and return to school the application for free and reduced meals to purchase and receive breakfast and lunch at their campus.

Arnold reported that adults, faculty or visitors, will pay a 25-cents more for a lunch purchases from SSISD cafeterias. The rate increase is based on USDA reimbursement rates, released Aug. 7 for the 2019-2020 school year. Based on that information, school Child Nutrition programs are required to recalculae adult and visitor prices using the USDA formula for minimum allowed pricing, according to Arnold.

The cost for faculty and visitor breakfast prices will remain $2.25. However, adult lunch prices will increase to $4 per meal, Arnold reports.

SSISD will once again participate in Region VII Education Service Center Inter-local Purchasing System to purchase food and supplies at the bid rates. SSISD will purchase certain foods and servicese through the food cooperative as follows:

  • Fresh bread: Kurz and Company
  • General grocery such as canned and dry goods, fresh and frozen meats: Sysco ETX
  • Fluid milk, dairy products and juice: Hiland Dairy and Sysco East TX
  • Snack foods and beverages: Sysco East Texas
  • Catering and special event grocery: Sysco East TX
  • Paper, plastic, chemicals and equipment such as dish machine chemicals and servicing: Systco East TX, Kirby Restaurant Supply and Abernathy
  • Frozen Desserts: Sysco East Tx
  • Beverages and dispensed drinks: Sysco ETX, Coca-Cola, Hiland Dairy and Trident
  • Fresh produce: Sysco, Brother’s Produce and BTB Hot Sauce LLC

Author: KSST Contributor

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