Master of Public Policy student Kelly Jasiura explored what it would take to get more North Carolina school districts to adopt a provision that allows school to offer universal free meals to all students, regardless of their ability to pay.
Author Kelly Jasiura completed her Master of Public Policy in May 2022.
Master of Public Policy student Kelly Jasiura explored what it would take to get more North Carolina school districts to adopt a provision that allows school to offer universal free meals to all students, regardless of their ability to pay.
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a policy that complements the National School Lunch Program is the federal program that allows students with eligible incomes to purchase school meals at a free or reduced rate. According to a report by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), eligibility for participation in CEP is based on a school’s Identified Student Percentage (ISP) – the percentage of students eligible for free meals without completing a free or reduced price meal application. This includes those receiving SNAP or TANF. Schools with an ISP of 40% or higher are eligible for CEP, and federal reimbursement rates for the program are determined by multiplying the ISP by 1.6.
The problem is that although CEP allows for the provision of universal free meals, just 71.6% of North Carolina’s eligible schools participated in the program in the 2018-2019 school year (FRAC data). Other research reports that common barriers to CEP participation include concerns around financial viability and lack of data on student poverty levels due to an absence of meal applications.
To better understand CEP implementation in the North Carolina context, Jasiura worked with the North Carolina Alliance for Health (NCAH) to answer the following research question: “What Factors contribute to the successful adoption of CEP in schools and districts throughout North Carolina?” The research process included both a quantitative analysis to analyze what characteristics were common among CEP-participating schools, and qualitative interviews with school nutrition directors to better understand the challenges and complements they experienced when adopting CEP.
Using data from the NC Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Education, she first investigated what relationships existed, if any, between a school’s choice to adopt CEP and various school characteristics, such as ISP level and the racial makeup of students enrolled. She found that ISP was the greatest predictor of CEP adoption. A higher ISP increases the federal reimbursement, making it more financially feasible to operate the program. This finding emphasized how CEP’s cost can influence a school’s decision to adopt the policy.
Jasiura also found that a larger Black student population and Democratic-leaning political preferences in the district were positively correlated with CEP adoption. However, the numbers alone did not explain why these types of schools were more likely to adopt the policy. This is where the interview portion of her study became crucial.
She spoke to school nutrition directors across the state and added anecdotal evidence to the quantitative research. This led to new insight that was not evident in the numbers themselves.
Nutrition directors emphasized that financial viability was a key factor in their decision to adopt CEP, reaffirming that ISP has a significant influence on CEP adoption. Some directors did also note that a larger Black student population may indirectly contribute to CEP adoption, as these students experience socioeconomic challenges caused by racial discrimination. Directors had mixed opinions on whether politics influence adoption, but some did note that CEP may align more with Democratic ideals. Directors also provided crucial insight into what kind of practices led to successful CEP adoption Of note, they mentioned that building strong relationships with school boards and engaging in education and advocacy communications with key stakeholders makes it more likely the policy will gain support and be successfully implemented.
Jasiura’s research made clear that the most effective way to promote CEP adoption would be to increase financial support for the policy. However, in the absence of additional funding, robust communications campaigns and learning from the successful experiences of Black and Democratic communities could lead to more incremental change.
Drawing from these conclusions, advocacy organizations like NCAH can support the following actions at the local, state, and federal levels to promote CEP adoption.
- Local: Share information across districts; engage in effective messaging workshops and campaigns
- State: Increase state funding for school meals; organize school site visits with legislators so they can see the positive impact of CEP
- Federal: Raise federal reimbursement multiplier; lower ISP eligibility threshold
School nutrition has always been a crucial tenant to student success in the classroom. CEP provides a feasible avenue to ensure all students receive necessary nutrition, but governmental and school district support is needed to effectively implement the policy in schools across North Carolina.