District to make reduced-price meals free for 2024-25; officials urge families to submit applications

Summary

Director Walker and Superintendent Brown said reduced-price breakfasts and lunches will be free for the coming school year effective Sept. 1, recommended a 10-cent lunch price increase for paid students, and urged all families to fill out free-and-reduced lunch applications because the data affect accountability ratings.

Perryton ISD will make reduced-price school meals free for the 2024-25 school year, effective Sept. 1, Director Walker told the board.

"If you qualify for reduced breast meals, you will not have to pay. That is effective September 1," Walker said; Walker and Superintendent Brown said implementing the change at the start of the year will simplify registration and record keeping.

Walker asked the board to approve a 10-cent increase in paid lunch prices and said breakfast prices should remain the same. She said the change is expected to be manageable for the district.

Superintendent Brown and Walker urged all families to complete the free-and-reduced lunch application even if they believe they will not qualify because the counts feed into the district—s accountability calculations. "It is very important to the school district that everybody that registers for school fill out the free and reduced, lunch application even if you don't think you're gonna qualify," Brown said.

Walker said the application is available on the district website and reported they had already processed 19 applications at the time of the meeting.