Beaufort finance committee advances food-service regulation updates, previews possible CEP expansion

At its April 11 meeting, the Beaufort County Board of Education Finance Committee reviewed proposed revisions to administrative regulations OS 37 and OS 37R to bring district food-service rules into alignment with recent U.S. Department of Agriculture guidance.

Staff said the revisions codify a federal directive that students cannot be denied a breakfast or lunch simply because they have not completed a free-and-reduced-price meal application. "A child cannot be denied a breakfast or lunch, simply because they didn't fill out a free and reduced lunch application," said Speaker 2, the staff member presenting the changes.

The update also previews a possible expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision, a USDA option that allows qualifying schools to serve all students free of charge. Staff reported the district currently has 21 CEP schools and said it will run annual direct-certification calculations for each school to determine eligibility. "We have currently have 21 schools," Speaker 2 said. "We moved, we went from 8 to 11, and then last year, we went to 21 of our schools are community eligible." Staff emphasized that any CEP expansion would require financial analysis to ensure the federal reimbursement would at least offset the local revenue lost from removing paid meals.

The presenters told the committee the food-service program is substantial and heavily federally funded. "Our program is about a $10,000,000 program, almost entirely funded, primarily funded with USDA dollars," Speaker 2 said, noting the district relies on USDA reimbursements when modeling changes.

Committee members raised questions about how eligibility determinations are made. Staff described the state's direct-certification process, which matches enrollment to records such as SNAP/EBT status, Medicaid, homelessness or foster-migrant indicators, and noted that the state provides a file the district uses to certify students. Staff also explained verification steps for non-CEP schools and the difference between direct certification and household meal applications.

A committee member asked whether CEP could result in higher-income students receiving free meals. Speaker 2 responded that CEP is based on community-level certification and that state data can show pockets of poverty even within wealthier areas, citing Hilton Head as an example where staff files indicate students qualifying for direct certification.

Staff said they plan to return to the committee in July with more complete data and recommendations if they determine expanding CEP is feasible. The committee did not take formal action on the regulations at the April meeting; the presentation was presented for review and to allow time for the annual eligibility calculations and financial modeling.

The committee requested staff prepare a clear explanation for the full board and for the public explaining the program mechanics, eligibility rules and the financial tradeoffs.

The committee adjourned without taking a vote on OS 37/37R; the next procedural step will be a follow-up presentation and potential recommendation to the full board.