Education Funding

Feds Pump $1.5 Billion Extra Toward Schools to Address Cafeteria Food Shortage

By Mark Lieberman — September 29, 2021 1 min read
Empty school cafeteria
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The federal government will invest up to $1.5 billion this year to help school cafeterias struggling to feed students under the weight of supply chain disruptions, funding challenges, and staffing shortages caused by the pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that the emergency funds will help schools more easily acquire U.S.-grown food supplies they need to serve healthy meals on a daily basis. The funds will also “enhance the toolbox for school nutrition professionals working hard to make sure students have reliable access to healthy meals,” according to the department’s news release.

The newly announced investment builds on more than a year of relaxed regulations designed to help schools to assemble and deliver more free meals and more off-site meals during extended periods of school building closures wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this month, to account for widespread supply shortages in a variety of food groups, the agriculture agency waived financial punishments for school meals that fail to meet certain nutritional guidelines. The federal government is also reimbursing schools for free meals at a higher rate than usual.

The School Nutrition Association, which represents school food directors nationwide, issued a statement Wednesday praising the Department of Agriculture for being “extremely responsive” amid a series of overlapping crises that shows no immediate signs of abating.

“We will continue to work with USDA and Congress to address the urgent needs of school meal programs, so critical to student achievement and wellness,” the statement said.

See Also

Stacked Red Cafeteria trays in a nearly empty lunch room.
iStock/Getty Images Plus

The push since last year for universal free school meals has prompted calls from advocates and politicians to permanently extend those programs. At the same time, a cascade of logistical headaches at every level of the food preparation and distribution process is straining school workers and district budgets.

Some schools are contemplating returning to remote learning and urging parents to pack students’ lunches while these problems continue. In a handful of cases, students have gone hungry during the school day.

Related Tags:

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding Billions for Schools Are in Limbo as Trump Admin. Denies State Funding Requests
Chaos and confusion continue to reign as states scramble to spend the last of their COVID relief funds under new deadlines.
8 min read
Illustration of a man pushing half of clock and half of a money coin forward on a red arrow
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Education Funding The Big Questions About Trump's K-12 Budget Proposal, Answered
Trump is proposing to cut billions of dollars in K-12 investments, consolidate grant programs, and potentially rejigger special education law.
13 min read
An aerial view of a maze made up of 100 dollar bills with two clay figures. One looks like Trump with blond hair and in a blue suit with a red tie and he's waving to another white business man in a suit walking away from him.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Trump Asks Congress to Slash Billions in Education Funding—and 'Preserve' Title I
A White House budget proposal calls for consolidating grants, eliminating key funding streams, and ramping up charter school investments.
8 min read
Vector illustration of business persons tightening the purse/finances.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Trump's Spending Plans Are Late—Raising Worries About K-12 Funds
The executive branch has three opportunities in the near future to detail its education funding priorities in writing—but it hasn't yet.
10 min read
Image of a dollar bill with the Capitol in the center.
DigitalVision Vectors