-Press Release, Vance County Schools
Vance County Schools was first notified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on January 4 that the federal government shutdown would affect funds for our school system’s School Nutrition Program.
School system officials subsequently were notified on January 7 by the N.C. State Department of Agriculture that food shipments were only guaranteed to our schools through March. On January 12, the USDA notified school districts that federal funds are only available through March.
Understanding our limited resources (cash reserves), we began planning for the long-term impact on our food service program should the federal shutdown continue. We made the decision to alter our food options to conserve funds as long as possible.
The Vance County Schools child nutrition program is funded through reimbursement by the Federal Government. A total of 95 percent of our program’s budget is provided through these federal monies. Federal reimbursements for student meals are usually received in our district 30 days after the meals are served.
Our school system has one-and-a-half months of funding reserves on hand to support our child nutrition program once funding is no longer available through the USDA. We recognize that we must plan to make the most of our resources and that we have a responsibility to meet the needs of our children. Our priority is ensuring our students receive breakfast and lunch every day and that continues to be the priority of our school system.
We are committed to providing breakfasts and lunches each day to all of our students.
We will continue to assess our school nutrition services on a regular basis as the shutdown continues.