Exeter, Shell Knob utilize Community Eligibility Provision

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

Two Barry County school districts are utilizing a federal program that makes meals free to all students, and while other districts have looked into the program, it is not a fit for all.

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal non-pricing meal service option that allows high-poverty schools to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students, so long as the school or district meets certain criteria.

Tim Jordan, Exeter superintendent, said his district reviews the program every couple of years to determine eligibility and financial feasibility of participation.

Qualification relies on the Identified Student Percentage (ISP), which must be at least 25%. At Exeter in the 2024-2025 school year, the high school was at 33.64%, and K-8 was at 44.025%. This school year, the high school is at 30%, and K-8 is at 29.86%.

“My understanding is that once approved, a district may participate in CEP for four years, even if its percentages change during that period,” Jordan said. “Reimbursement rates, however, are affected by the district’s ISP.

“The reimbursement rate is based on the percentage of students who qualify through Direct Certification for certain government assistance programs. Depending on that percentage, participating in CEP can result in the district receiving less reimbursement than it costs to provide meals to all students. Any additional expense would have to be covered by district funds that might otherwise be used for other budgeted needs.”

Jordan said Exeter’s current percentages remain above the 25% eligibility threshold, but the decline may reduce the reimbursement the district receives for meals served to all students at no cost.

“Approximately 73.4% of our students still qualify for free or reduced-price meals,” Jordan said. “However, CEP reimbursement is based on the ISP, not the overall percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. We are currently in the second year of our four-year CEP cycle. We will continue monitoring the financial impact and evaluating whether the program remains sustainable for the district.”

While the district receives reimbursements, Jordan said the CEP does not reimburse the district for all the costs it takes to provide free lunches for all students. 

“We are receiving less revenue compared to the standard free and reduced lunch reimbursement program,” he said. “In addition, food prices have increased, requiring us to supplement meal costs with general fund dollars. We are able to continue providing this benefit at present, but we are concerned about whether the revenue will be sufficient in the future. With the state discussing potential budget cuts, school districts are facing uncertainty about how we will continue paying teachers what they deserve while also providing the resources necessary to educate students at a high level.”

Jordan said Exeter will continue providing free meals as long as the finances are sustainable. However, if expenses continue to rise and revenue declines, the district may have to reevaluate its participation.

“We continue to hear concerns about potential cuts to public education funding, and those concerns make long-term budgeting especially challenging,” Jordan said. 

Reception of the program has been positive among district patrons, Jordan said, with many families expressing their appreciation for the district’s participation in the CEP.

“Given the economic challenges many families face, packing a lunch or paying for school meals can be a financial stretch,” Jordan said. “We feel fortunate to be able to provide this opportunity to Exeter students and families, and we hope the program and its funding will continue to allow us to help families in this way.”

Alongside the appreciation has been an increase in meals served, specifically at lunch.

“We initially saw a surge in the number of students eating school lunch,” Jordan said. “Interestingly, participation in school breakfast did not increase significantly. Now in our second year of CEP, we have seen a slight additional increase in the number of students eating school lunch. One of the most positive aspects of the program is the direct benefit to families who may not have qualified for free meals under the previous system but still found it challenging to pay for school meals or purchase groceries to pack lunches from home.”

Looking ahead, Jordan hopes to continue participation, but recognizes continuation hinges on finances.

“The Exeter school district was excited to be able to offer this support to our families,” he said. “We recognize the tremendous benefit that free school meals provide to students and parents. At the same time, we must be responsible stewards of district resources. With public education funding facing significant uncertainty, we have to carefully monitor the program’s financial sustainability. We want to continue providing this benefit, but we cannot do so indefinitely if the funding necessary to support it is not available.”

Chris Conyac, superintendent at Shell Knob No. 78, which serves kindergartners to eighth grade, said Shell Knob has been part of the CEP program since the 2021-2022 school year.

“This has been a significant benefit to our students and families,” Conyac said.

Financial feasibility proved to be a key factor for other Barry County schools and their decisions to pass on the CEP.

Merlyn Johnson, Cassville superintendent, said Cassville’s district-wide ISP is at 22.2%, just below the eligibility threshold. To break even financially, the district would need to be at 62.5%. If it qualified as a district, Cassville would spend $430,982.28 out of its general fund to provide free meals, according to a CEP calculator provided by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

Cassville’s primary and intermediate schools do qualify by themselves, but according to the calculator, the district would absorb $183,779.28 in meal costs over the course of this school year.

If Cassville were to participate, absorption costs would be paid through Fund 1, which has a budget of $10,003,318 this year.

“Though a partial approach reduces the deficit significantly compared to district-wide participation, it still creates an unfunded liability of $22,689 per active serving month,” Johnson said.

Johnson added Cassville will continue to track data across its campuses annually and reevaluate if metrics shift to provide a break-even or net-positive return.

At the Wheaton school district, Superintendent Alyssa Kennedy, who assumed the role from Chris Paullus in July], said the CEP was evaluated in the spring to see if participation would be sustainable.

“After utilizing the DESE online tool to project the financial impact of transitioning to CEP, we estimated that the district would experience a reduction in revenue of approximately $15,000 to $18,000 for the upcoming school year,” she said. “Based on our current financial structure and budget limitations, Mr. Paullus and I determined that transitioning to CEP was not financially feasible for the 2026-2027 school year.

“As a district, we remain committed to providing nutritious meals to our students while making fiscally responsible decisions that support the long-term financial stability of Wheaton.”

Wheaton’s food preparation and dispensing services budget is $390,270 for the year, which accounts for about 7% of the district’s overall budget.

“We utilize Opaa! for our food service management company, so a major portion of that is our contract with them,” Kennedy said. “At this point, it would be a challenge to hire and pay employees without utilizing a FSMC, and we would most likely pay more in the end to manage things ourselves.”

Kennedy said to make a move to CEP, the district would have to be in the same ballpark budget-wise, and, like Johnson, also said her district plans to keep an eye on its metrics moving forward.

“If Wheaton qualifies for the CEP in a future school year, we will revisit the program and compare it with our existing National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) models,” she said. “We will evaluate the financial impact and available funding before determining whether a transition would be appropriate for our district. Ultimately, I want to make the best decision for students in our district while also being fiscally responsible with where we are at funding wise.”

At Purdy, Superintendent Travis Graham said his district has looked into the CEP over the last few years, but eligibility and fiscal limitations prevent participation.

“At this time our district, according to what I found, is not eligible,” he said. “However, if we were when looking at the calculation tool on whether CEP or traditional is better, we are better off doing traditional. In summary, CEP is not a program we are looking at participating in, as I do not believe it would be fiscally best for our district.”

Tosha Tilford, Southwest superintendent, did not respond to emails for comment.