MANCHESTER, N.H. – Near the end of Monday’s Board of School Committee Meeting, Vice Chair Jim O’Connell asked all eligible parents to sign up for free and reduced meals assistance not just for their children, but also for the Manchester School District as a whole.
Under state guidelines, the Manchester School District receives $3,786.66 per pupil in adequacy aid, but also receives an additional $1,893.22 per eligible student that applies for free or reduced meals.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, many families dropped out of the program. O’Connell also urged families to sign up given the fact that HB 601 was defeated in the House of Representatives by one vote, and if this bill had become law it could have brought approximately $2 million in extra funds through the district by tying Medicaid direct certification to the free and reduced meal applications.
Families making up to 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for the program. Forms in multiple languages to sign up for the program can be found on the Manchester School District website.