Leading to Retire School Lunch Debt

Rep. Cunningham introduced a bill to retire school lunch debt in North Carolina.

House Bill 509: Reduce School Lunch Debt allocates $3,166,600 in nonrecurring funds from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction for the 2023-2024 fiscal year to clear any outstanding school nutrition program debt.

If the allocated funds are insufficient to cover all debts by the end of the fiscal year, the State Board of Education is directed to use the State Public School Fund to fulfill the remaining debt.

While the bill did not pass, Rep. Cunningham advocated for the policy to be included in the state budget, which passed into law, providing even more resources to ensure students are not penalized for school lunch debt and increase access to meals at school for more students.

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