St. Tammany School Board votes 7-5 to continue universal school meals for one 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 reimbursements tied to family applications. The administration said continuing CEP for one year would add roughly $877,952 to the district’s cost for the coming year and bring the total district cost for the program next year to about $2.5 million; without CEP, staff estimated the district would need to find roughly $1.7 million from operating or capital transfers to cover rising food-service costs.

What the board debated: board members and community speakers clashed over whether the district should absorb the additional cost or return to the application-based free/reduced system and collect payments from families who can afford them. At the meeting union representative Mr. Osborne said he was providing information rather than a recommendation, noting the national union’s position: “The A.F.T. supports universal lunch programs like CEP. I personally don't,” he said, urging a rigorous local study of costs and waste.

Supporters argued CEP reduces barriers and administrative burden. Board member Mr. Breaux, who urged keeping CEP, said his calculations showed broader community savings and described the program as “beneficial to the parish.” Opponents warned the program would shift money from planned capital projects and asked for additional transparency on exactly which funds would be used.

How administration proposed to pay: Ms. Prevost outlined options including reducing next year’s parish-wide construction transfer by $1,000,000 and not funding the planned $1.8 million roofing contribution for the fiscal year, freeing roughly $2.8 million in capital fund balance to cover food-service needs. She also cited potential savings from worker’s-comp and health-insurance trends and tighter food-service salary monitoring.

Process and next steps: administrators said the board’s adoption covers fiscal 2026 only and that the district will reevaluate the program next year and notify parents if it is discontinued. The board vote passed 7–5; President Green announced, “that motion carries 7 EAs, 5 Nays. So we will continue the CEP for 1 more year and reevaluate.”

The debate included repeated procedural questions about whether the item should return to the full board after failing in committee the prior week; legal counsel and staff said it was permissible to bring amended recommendations back to the board for a full vote.

Community impact and caveats: district staff warned projected numbers are estimates because the district no longer collects the same free/reduced application data while on CEP; staff said comparisons to pre‑CEP years are imperfect. The administration and several board members said they expect to monitor reimbursements, participation and fund balances closely over the coming year and return to the board with updated figures before making any multi‑year commitment.