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PGCPS reports about $1.2 million in school meal debt; seeks to expand CEP to cut costs
Summary
Director Mary Kirkland told the board the district's school meal debt stood at just over $1.2 million as of May 29, 2026 and that the district has applied to expand the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) from 136 to 195 schools (pending MSDE approval) to reduce debt, while rolling out summer meal sites and salad-bar pilots.
Mary Kirkland, director of Food and Nutrition Services for Prince George's County Public Schools, said on June 17 that the district's school meal debt for the current year was "a little over $1.2 million" as of May 29, 2026, with final numbers to be reported after the last day of school.
Kirkland told the Operations, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee that the department is pursuing an expanded Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) application that, if approved by the Maryland State Department of Education, would raise participating schools from 136 to 195 next school year. "We hope to get 195 of our schools to participate in the CEP program," she said, adding that broader CEP participation would "help significantly" reduce unpaid meal balances.
Why it matters: unpaid meal balances shift costs and operational burdens. Kirkland said some principals sometimes cover lunches from a principal loan account so students can eat that day, but those payments remain as negative balances on student accounts that families are expected to repay. Committee members pressed the department for clarity about how those principal-covered balances are communicated to families and whether the district pursues repayment when students graduate.
Kirkland also described summer meal operations and new menu pilots. The district planned more than 160 school and community summer meal locations, 21 open meal sites for youth 18 and under (meals consumed on-site, first-come, first-served), and select production kitchens preparing cold-bag meals for partner sites. She said school-site service windows run roughly July 1'0 to July 31; many library community sites will run July 1'0 to August 8, with a few sites served beginning June 29.
On school food innovation, Kirkland highlighted a fresh-food and culinary transformation pilot launched in May that introduced salad bars at Crossland High School and Central High School. "The response that we've received from the students has been phenomenal," she said, and the department plans to expand salad bars to Innovation Zone high schools and at least one high school in each board member's district next year.
Board members asked whether meal debt is concentrated in particular schools. Kirkland said higher debt is trending in what the district calls area 5 (Oxon Hill/Colonel Powell area) and, at times, area 1 (Laurel), and reiterated that principals decide whether to cover student meals and how much to set aside for that purpose. When asked about balances for graduating students, Kirkland said the office typically does not pursue special collection efforts over the summer and that staff could run reports to estimate amounts tied to seniors.
The committee closed the discussion by asking the department to provide updated final debt numbers and to share results of the CEP application when MSDE completes its review.
