Tahlequah schools to continue federal CEP for one more year as meal participation rises

Tahlequah Public Schools administrators told the school board on May 13 they plan to operate under the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for at least one more year while monitoring district revenues and participation.

Lacey Wilson, the district’s federal programs and grants director, said the district’s direct-certification rate used to qualify for CEP is 53.99 percent, a figure district staff applied to the federal formula that determines CEP reimbursement. “I want the world to know that we’re gonna do CEP one more year,” Wilson said during her presentation on child nutrition.

The district reported rising participation and a modest surplus for April. Chartwells, the district’s food-service partner, and district staff told the board the month produced 88,462 meals over 21 serving days; the district’s April child-nutrition budget figures show expenses of about $313,477 and anticipated reimbursements of about $330,834, leaving an April net reimbursement surplus of about $17,356 on paper.

Wilson and Chartwells staff described how CEP changes the reimbursement mix. Wilson explained the district’s per-meal reimbursements and how coverage varies by students’ certification status; later in the presentation she summarized commonly used reimbursement rates for planning, saying, “For every breakfast, we get reimbursed $2.98. And for every lunch, we get reimbursed $5.21.” Chartwells staff and Wilson said boosting breakfast participation is a priority because the relative reimbursement for breakfast improves program finances.

Administrators described recent operational changes that helped participation: breakfast “grab-and-go” carts at the middle and high school, second-chance carts that serve later in the morning, and targeted partnerships with athletics and band to provide early-morning meals to students who practice. District-wide averages presented to the board showed about 32 percent of students eating breakfast and about 64 percent eating lunch; individual site rates were higher in elementary schools and lower at the high school, where many students leave campus for part of the day.

Chartwells and district staff outlined outreach and engagement programs that have been used to boost participation, including Discovery Kitchen taste events, themed “fun days,” student-choice trials and repeat menu features for items students liked. They said Thanksgiving and other special events increased parent and community participation and that the district plans similar programming next year.

The presentation also covered compliance and program rules. Chartwells staff explained meal-pattern requirements under the National School Lunch Program and noted the district recently passed federal compliance audits.

Wilson and staff emphasized that CEP eligibility is conditional on budget and participation: if the program became a net cost to the district, officials said the district would revert to standard paid/reduced/free meal forms for students who are not directly certified. “I just don’t want to promise it for years, but I want to do it,” Wilson told the board, asking members to note the district’s ongoing budget scrutiny.

Board members asked about summer feeding and noted the district will operate summer meal pick-ups on select Wednesdays in June and July; staff said the pick-ups will be open to children in the area and not limited to Tahlequah Public Schools students but that names must be recorded for federal documentation.

The board received the report; separate agenda items later covered the monthly financial report and required votes.