WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an adjustment in school meal reimbursements to help schools continue to serve children healthy and nutritious meals.

This move will put an estimated $750 million more into school meal programs across the nation this year, making sure federal reimbursements keep pace with food and operational costs, while ensuring children continue to receive healthy meals at school.

According to information from the USDA, Pennsylvania will receive an estimated total of $394,853,855 in funds provided to support school districts. Included in that total is $51,767,928 in supply chain assistance funds, $46,165,927 allocated for emergency operating costs and $26,230,000 as the estimated mid-year adjustment to the Summer Food service program (SFSP) reimbursement rates.

“This increase in lunch reimbursements will help Pennsylvania schools deal with the rising costs of food, significantly expanding their overall resources available for their programs by providing an estimated additional $26.2 million,” said Dr. Patty Bennett, FNS, mid-Atlantic region administrator.

“USDA understands that balancing the pressures of the pandemic with the need to feed children healthy and nutritious meals continues to be a priority for schools across the country,” said Vilsack. “The Biden-Harris Administration is doing everything we can and these higher meal reimbursements will help allow school meal programs to continue meeting their mission of giving children the nourishment they need to grow, learn, and thrive.”

At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, the SFSP lunch reimbursement rate for participating schools was already 15% higher than the standard reimbursement for a free lunch. Now, because of higher food costs and other circumstances, schools will receive an additional 25 cents per lunch. Taken together, schools are receiving 22% more for school lunches than they would under normal conditions.