School Lunch debt in northern Nevada surges after free meal program discontinued

The debt accumulation comes after Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill during the 2023 Legislative session that would’ve provided funds to continue the pandemic-era, universal school meals program through the 2024-2025 school year.

School lunch debt has surged in northern Nevada, with over $62,000 owed between the Washoe County and Carson City school districts as of the beginning of December. 

As first reported by News 4 in Reno, there is roughly $45,000 in outstanding school lunch debt in the Washoe County School District and about $17,500 in the Carson City School District. 

The debt accumulation comes after Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed AB319, a bill during the 2023 Legislative session that would’ve allocated $43 million of state funds to continue the pandemic-era, federally funded, universal school meals program through the 2024-2025 school year.

But it’s not a new issue. By the end of February 2017, Washoe County School District’s unpaid meal debt had climbed to $66,723 — more than double the $29,560 that had accrued all of the previous school year.

Many schools throughout the state have continued to offer free breakfast and lunch for students thanks to their Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) designation through the Nevada Department of Agriculture, which applies to schools where at least a quarter of the population is at or below 130% of the federal poverty level — which was part of Lombardo’s reasoning for rejecting the bill in his veto message. 

This school year is the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in which breakfasts and lunches are not provided for free to all students. 

For the Clark County School District, CEP has allowed it to continue offering free meals to all students and forego school meal debt, according to a district spokesperson. 

In Washoe County School District, 68 schools meet the requirement for CEP, forcing families at the remaining 35 schools in the district to apply for the program on a case-by-case basis. However, WCSD schools will continue to feed students regardless of any debt on their account and those students cannot be shamed for any outstanding debt.

Meanwhile, some parents have launched GoFundMe fundraisers to help clear their children’s school’s lunch debt. 

It is also expected that state lawmakers will try again to reinstate the universal free school lunch program in the 2025 session of the state legislature, which is set to start Feb. 3.