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Broward board orders student payment obligations, asks staff to seek community funding to curb rising meal debt
Summary
After Food & Nutrition reported student meal debt rising above $300,000 and a projected $688,000 shortfall to sustain a no‑tray policy for the year, the board directed staff to implement obligations, accelerate outreach to enroll eligible families in meal benefits, and pursue community and municipal partners rather than asking the general fund to cover the full amount.
Facing a surge in unpaid cafeteria charges after pandemic‑era universal programs ended, Broward County School Board members on Dec. 10 directed staff to reintroduce student meal obligations and to pursue community and municipal funding to reduce outstanding student meal debt.
Food & Nutrition Services director Mary Mulder told the board that routine outreach and principal follow‑up have not stemmed a rapid increase in unpaid charges: staff reported the district’s outstanding meal debt rose during the meeting from roughly $252,000 to about $303,000 and that, under a conservative model projecting continued charge patterns, covering a no‑tray approach for the remainder of the year could cost roughly $688,000.
Mulder urged a combinati…
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