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New Milford pursues state Community Eligibility Provision to offer free meals for 2024–25
Summary
District officials said they will apply for the state's Community Eligibility Provision for 2024–25; the district currently reports 34% of students on free/reduced lunch and expects about 40% next year, making it eligible for the program that would provide zero-cost meals without using local funds.
The New Milford Board of Education discussed pursuing the state's Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2024–25 school year, which would allow the district to offer free or zero-cost meal options to students using state funds rather than local dollars.
Anthony Giovannone told the board the district was approved to use funds from its own food service balance for 2023–24 and is pursuing the state CEP application for 2024–25; a memo from a meeting with Sandra Sullivan details the timeline and next steps. "Once approved, there will be notifications to family and staff if there will be zero cost options for 24/25 school year," Giovannone said.
Board Chair Wendy Faulenbach framed the opportunity as a way to continue offering free lunch and to extend savings to families. Giovannone clarified the CEP would not use local funds but state funds to provide low‑cost or no‑cost meals. Dr. Janet Parlato said the district currently reports 34% of students qualifying for free/reduced meals and expects that to be about 40% for 2024–25; the state's eligibility condition requires at least 25% participation tied to certain data sources. Giovannone said the district hoped to learn final approval by the end of July.
If approved, the CEP would allow the district to offer broader meal access without tapping operational funds; staff will proceed with the application and notify families if the state's approval is granted.
