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Board approves changes to meal‑debt policy, cites donor help and warns CEP would require multi‑million dollar subsidy
Summary
After a public hearing, the board approved revisions to student meal‑debt policy (including a $50 cap on unpaid charges that stops extra purchases but preserves a reimbursable meal for eligible students). Staff warned that adopting universal free meals districtwide under CEP could create a $4M–$5.7M annual deficit without federal multiplier changes.
The Santa Rosa County School Board on Sept. 9 approved revisions to district nutrition policy aimed at limiting unpaid student meal debt while preserving meals for students in need.
Travis Fulton, the district’s director for purchasing and food service matters, told the board the district has seen unpaid meal balances rise and fall across recent years — examples cited included roughly $36,000 outstanding at one point and a high of about $61,000 in a prior year. The district changed its practice this year and rolled forward unpaid balances for returning students, starting the term with roughly $23,000 in carry‑forward unpaid charges; as of…
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