Ogden School District sees student lunch debt skyrocket, turns to community for help 

OGDEN — The Ogden School District is facing a dramatic rise in student lunch debt, reporting a 500% increase in unpaid meal balances over the past year.

At Polk Elementary School, assistant kitchen manager Brynne Wilson says the numbers are staggering.

"It's insane," she said.

Districtwide lunch debt has climbed to roughly $16,000, compared to about $3,000 on average in previous years, according to the district.

Despite the growing balance, school nutrition staff say making sure students are fed remains the top priority.

"It's a lot of money, but we don't want the kids worrying about that," Wilson said. "We don't want them to have to come in to lunch or breakfast and worry."

Families in Ogden School District pay $1.75 per lunch for an elementary student and $2.25 for a junior high or high schooler's lunch.

The increase comes during the first year of H.B. 100, a Utah law that expanded free meal eligibility to some 40,000 Utah students and prevents schools from giving students an alternate meal because of unpaid lunch balances or even addressing them directly about it.

"They get the same meal that everyone else does," said Dix Wright, Mount Fort Junior High kitchen manager.

Parents are notified when lunch balances go unpaid, but school officials say another challenge has emerged.

According to the Ogden School District, the percentage of students receiving federal free lunches has decreased from 75% on average, to 68% recently. The concern is that families who may qualify for free meals are not completing the required applications because their children are still receiving lunch at school. However, without the federal application, the district now pays for that meal if the family lets the balance go unpaid.

"We would like more families to fill out applications," Wilson said. "We have some families that either don't know about it or just don't fill it out."

The application for Ogden schools is available here. Students are granted free lunch status according to the chart below showing required income and family size.

This year, the leaders at the School Nutrition Association of Ogden, which includes Dix Wright as president and Brynne Wilson as president-elect, are trying a new approach: bringing the community together in support.

Ryan Spencer, another member of the nutrition association, suggested hosting a 2.5-mile fundraising run at Lorin Farr Park, with registration fees going toward reducing student lunch debt.

The Miles for Meals event is planned for 8 a.m. Saturday. For $30, participants can walk, jog or run to chip away at the school lunch debt.

School lunch leaders like Wilson say with more families submitting the federal application and community-wide support, children and families in Ogden can focus on education, not lunch debt.

"Lunch helps them stay focused in class. If they have a full belly, then they can learn what they need to learn," she said. "And it also just increases their mood and they're just happier."

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