How Salem Schools are Fighting to Keep Meals Free

Salem Community Schools has announced that every student in grades K–12 will once again receive both breakfast and lunch at no cost for the coming 2025–26 school year. The district shared the news on its official Facebook page on July 24.

According to Salem Schools' Food Service Director Karen Libka, the district delivers these meals under the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP allows schools with a sufficient percentage of “directly certified” students (those whose families participate in programs such as SNAP, TANF, eligible Medicaid, foster care, migrant services or McKinney-Vento homeless assistance) to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students without collecting individual meal applications.

“This is actually the 5th year Bradie Shrum Elementary has had free meals, the third year for Salem Middle School, and the second year for Salem High School,” Libka explained.

Under CEP, a school’s reimbursement rate is determined by multiplying its percentage of directly certified students by a federal multiplier (currently 1.6). For example, a school at the minimum 25 percent threshold would receive full reimbursement for 40 percent of meals served (.25 x 1.6 = .40), which was $4.43 per lunch in 2024-2025.  The remaining 60 percent of the meals served would only  receive the non-free or reduced rate which was $0.42 per meal in the 24-25 school year. 

Libka said that although Congress lowered the eligibility threshold from 40 percent to 25 percent a few years ago, the unchanged multiplier means many schools still face funding gaps: “It means you are basically giving away 60 percent of your meals. This change Congress made really did nothing to help most schools.”

In Salem’s case, the elementary campus is the closest to full federal funding, with an 89.97 percent reimbursed rate. "That means we are basically giving away 10 percent of the meals at Bradie Shrum," Libka explained, saying that the high school operates at a 66.45 percent rate, meaning more than one‐third of its meals are not fully covered by federal reimbursements. “It’s very tough to make it work,” she admitted, “but we are all committed to making it work as long as we can.”

To bridge funding shortfalls, the district relies solely on federal meal funds. "We don't pull any money from the school budget or local tax dollars," Libka emphasized, adding that small a la carte sales and occasional grants also assist in funding the program.

Libka says she and her team participate in a cooperative purchasing network to lower food costs, pursue equipment grants, and attend professional development, including the National School Nutrition Association conference, to stay abreast of best practices and regulatory changes.

Libka also clarified some common misconceptions: completing free and reduced–price meal applications does not influence CEP eligibility or reimbursement rates, since only directly certified students count toward the federal calculation. “Every school in Washington County is already eligible. It’s just a matter of whether they can afford to make it work.”

Salem Community Schools will continue its current four-year CEP cycle through 2025–26. Should the directly certified rate improve, the district may seek to reset its reimbursement level.

"It's important that every child has access to healthy meals every day without the worry of costs," Libka concluded. "We will fight the good fight to keep CEP going at every building for as long as we possibly can. The whole team is committed to this."