More Free and Reduced Lunches in Lower Schools

COLD SPRING — A national trend shows more students becoming eligible for free or reduced school lunches.
In Lower Township and Cape May, schools are showing mixed results with two showing an increase and one school a decrease in free and reduced lunches.
The amount of students eligible to receive free or reduced cost lunches in the Lower Township Elementary District showed a sharp increase this year.
Last year, 45.5 percent of students were eligible for a free or reduced cost lunch. This year that figure jumped to 48.5 percent, a 3 percent increase, according to Superintendent Joseph Cirrincione.
He said the increase reflects more families slipping to the poverty level or below, to be eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Ten years ago, the school district percentage of free and reduced lunches was 39.5 percent, indicating a 9 percent increase in 10 years. Cirrincione noted the district experienced a 3 percent increase in just one year.
The district provides breakfast free of charge to any student offering choices of 100 percent juice, Healthy Choice cereal or “bageler” or saltine crackers.
The cost of lunch is $1.75 or 40 cents for reduced price eligible students.
Cape May Elementary School is showing a decrease in the number of students eligible for free and reduced cost lunches.
Superintendent Victoria Zelenak said in the 2006-2007 school year, 44 percent of Cape May Elementary School students qualified for a free or reduced lunch. Enrollment was 167 students with 73 eligible for free or reduced lunch.
In the 2007-2008 school year, the percentage remained at 44 percent. With enrollment of 154 students, 41 were for eligible free lunch with 27 eligible for reduced lunch for a total of 68 children
For the 2008-2009 school year with enrollment of 169 students, 18 are eligible for free lunch and 40 for reduced lunches for a total of 58 children or 34 percent of the school’s population.
At the Lower Cape May Regional High School district, the amount students eligible for free lunches increased while the number of students eligible for reduced lunches decreased.
According to Business Administrator Frank Onorato, this year, 427 students were eligible for free lunch, up from 408 last year.
In the category of reduced cost lunches, 208 students were eligible last year, which has decreased to 177 students this year.
Enrollment in the regional school district decreased slightly from 1,801 last year to 1,725 this year, said Onorato.
Full price lunches at the middle and high schools are $2.25 or 40 cents for reduced lunch cost students.
Children from households receiving food stamps or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families are eligible for free lunches.
Reduced price lunches are based on household income starting with one adult earning no more than $19,240 per year or two adults at $25,900 per year.