Superior qualifies for free hot lunch program

Thanks to the efforts of Superior School’s administrative staff, the school will qualify for the free hot breakfast and lunch program. Last week, the Mineral Independent reported that Alberton and Superior schools were slated to lose their status for the free hot lunch program. However, staff members reviewed the state records for students who qualify and found those reports out of date.

Superior School Superintendent Scott Kinney said the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) data had not been updated at the state level. “The school clerks went to work and went through all of the student records and made corrections to the state data. The state was missing 10 percent of the students. The elementary ended up being 71 percent overall. We knew the numbers were too low. Here we’ve been fretting about this since last fall. This shouldn’t be the schools responsibility. It should be the state’s responsibility,” Kinney said.

In order for schools to qualify for the free program, 40 percent of the student families must qualify for SNAP or TANF. Once the school qualifies it is good for four years. School administrators were baffled at the change in status since Mineral County’s economics has not changed much over the past couple of years.

One thing that had changed was the SNAP office had moved to Missoula. Once word got out about the plight at the schools, Kinney said Superior resident Diane Magone jumped into action. She contacted various government officials in Missoula and Helena. This has resulted in SNAP Program officials to try and get a representative out to Mineral County periodically to help fill out applications and forms.

“Moving the social service office to Missoula has had unexpected consequences,” said Kinney. “Everybody’s input about the hot lunch program has raised a lot of red flags with those agencies as what the cost of losing these offices in Mineral County does.”

The free hot breakfast and lunch program saves families approximately $600 per year per student. “This is a big deal for families on a tight budget,” he said.

It is still unknown whether Alberton School will qualify but Kinney said they have updated school officials about the out-of-date information.