As poverty rises, 35 Des Moines schools give free meals to all

Students at more than half of Des Moines' schools will soon be offered free breakfast and lunches, no questions asked.

Officials have determined that most students at the 35 schools and three preschools are poor enough to qualify for the service. They'll no longer be required to apply for it.

School district leaders said they should save about $75,000 per year in administrative costs because they no longer will have to process families' applications or track payment for meals at those schools. The new policy affects about 18,000 of the district's 32,000 students and more than half of its 60 schools.

The change reflects increased poverty among families with children attending Des Moines' public schools.

In the 1992-93 school year, just 33 percent of Des Moines students were poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. That figure will reach about 70 percent this fall, said Sandy Huisman, the district's director of food and nutrition management. For students to qualify this school year, their parents must make less than $44,123 annually for a family of four or less than $29,101 for a family of two.

Huisman said the shift to giving free food to all students at certain schools will have several benefits beyond efficiency. For example, she said, some families make just a bit more than the income limit but still struggle to pay for their kids' meals. They no longer will face the hassle and embarrassment of being billed for their costs.

Experts say students learn better when they've eaten nutritious meals. But Huisman also said some families who already qualify for free meals decline to apply out of pride. Now, she said, their children will receive meals along with all their classmates. "If everybody has that option, it really helps break down those barriers," she said.

The entire cost will be borne by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Huisman said. She did not have a total estimate, but she said each breakfast costs $1.93 and each lunch costs $2.98.

The policy already was in place at these 13 schools: Capitol View, Carver, Edmunds, Findley, Howe, King, Lovejoy, McKinley, Monroe, Moulton, and Willard elementary schools, and Harding and Hiatt middle schools.

Here are schools where the policy is being being added this fall: Brubaker, Cattell, Garton, Jackson, Madison, Morris, Oak Park, Park Avenue, River Woods, Samuelson, South Union, Stowe, Studebaker, and Windsor elementary schools; Callanan, Hoyt, McCombs, Meredith, and Weeks middle schools; North and Scavo high schools; and Smouse Opportunity School. Also, McKee and Woodlawn education centers and Mitchell Early Learning Center, all preschools.