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St. Tammany School Board votes 7-5 to continue universal school meals for one year
Summary
The St. Tammany Parish School Board voted 7-5 on May 15 to continue the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) — a districtwide free-meals program — for the 2025–26 school year while administrators plug funding gaps from capital fund balances and plan a reevaluation next year.
The St. Tammany Parish School Board voted 7–5 on May 15 to continue the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), the districtwide free-meals program, for one school year and instructed staff to revisit funding and program viability before the following school year.
The board took the vote after the administration outlined a plan to offset the additional cost by using existing capital fund balances and payroll savings. “With governmental funding uncertainty and our CEP percentages falling, the administration and board would need to reevaluate the continuation of the CEP program beyond next school year,” Ms. Prevost, a district staff member, told the board as she described proposed budget adjustments.
Why it matters: the CEP removes meal-charging barriers for families and increases federal reimbursement for meals served, but it also changes how the district documents free/reduced eligibility and reduces direct USDA…
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