DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) – Some Iowa school districts are reporting thousands of dollars in unpaid school lunch bills.
As the first day of school approaches, one man is asking others to help pay for their lunches, just like he did in his own community.
School meals are considered an essential part of learning.
“When students eat, they perform better in class,” says pediatric nutritionist Caitlin Schuerman.
So central Iowa schools are feeding kids even when they can’t pay tuition, while the deficit of unpaid bills continues to grow.
That’s where Rick Vernon comes in.
“I called the school district’s superintendent, Tom Messinger, to discuss the matter and he said this is definitely an issue,” Vernon explained.
Newton Schools graduates have learned their school district is facing problems with unpaid school lunch fees totaling more than $21,000.
Learning that inspired him to lead the charge.
“I will support the community challenge and match any donations raised to help cover the deficit,” Vernon said.
He offered up his own money, dollar for dollar.
The balance was paid in just under a week.
But other school districts face similar or even greater debts heading into the new school year.
Schuurman said rising debt is becoming a trend.
“Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a significant increase in meal debt,” Schuerman said.
Of the 12 school districts questioned, 9 of the 11 that responded reported deficits in their school lunch programs last school year.
The amounts range from about $3,000 in Carlisle to more than $190,000 in Ankeny.
“It’s really frightening to see the debt increase so dramatically in such a short period of time,” Schuerman said.
To solve this problem, Vernon is calling on other communities to emulate his challenge.
“There are people in every community, like me in Newton, who have the wherewithal,” Vernon added, “and in every community in Iowa that has these kinds of deficits, people can step up.”
Schuerman said the mission is a step in the right direction, but he’d like to see even bigger changes.
“Raising money to pay off debt is great in the short term, but it’s not a long-term solution. So I think looking at policy and exploring what opportunities there are on a larger level can really help provide opportunities to provide meals to students on a daily basis,” Schuerman said.
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