USDA: Adjustment Will Help Millions Of School Children Nationwide

Thanks to an adjustment in school meal reimbursements, district across the U.S. are receiving more money to runs their 2022 school meal programs.

“There was an annual adjustment that typically occurs in the reimbursement rates," said USDA Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long. "But the thing that was a little different about it this year is that adjustment normally occurs in the summertime, so it doesn’t happen during the school year.  But because of some of those modifications we made, this mid-year adjustment goes downstream from that.”

The rate adjustment is expected to add an estimated $750 million more into school meal programs across the country.

“This rate adjustment is only the most recent in a series of steps that we have taken to provide support for school meals in a very challenging time.”

Long noted some of those adjustments include increased funding resources and waivers allowing schools to operate more flexible meal programs.

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