By Eric Stevick

Herald Writer

While one out of every five kids who get free or discounted meals at school may be ineligible because the family’s income is too high, many children who do qualify aren’t receiving them.

The system overseeing eligibility needs to be changed, some federal officials say.

"The evidence is strong that more students are certified for free or reduced-price meals than appear to be eligible," Eric Bost, the nation’s undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, testified recently before a congressional subcommittee. "The trend has worsened significantly in recent years."

In 1999, the latest year the data was available, the lunch rolls were 27 percent higher than they should have been based on an analysis of census data, Bost said.

About 13 million children received free meals last year and an additional 2.6 million paid a discounted price, a maximum of 40 cents per meal. In Snohomish County, there were applications for 15,726 children to receive a free lunch and 7,406 more for a discounted lunch in October, according to state records. That is out of a countywide enrollment of 106,360.

The federal government is "pilot-testing" potential policy changes to improve the process of confirming who is qualified for the meals, Bost said. In general, schools rely on parents to report their income properly, and school districts attempt to check the financial records of no more than 3 percent of families to verify eligibility.

In the Everett School District, for instance, there is a focus on checking with families who report to be within $100 of eligibility.

The eligibility question can be a two-edged sword.

Discounted school meals are often used as a gauge to determine who gets how much grant money — finances that go well beyond the cafeteria. The figures are used to distribute billions of dollars in education aid, including technology money. All of which encourages schools to promote students to enroll.

Conversely, school officials don’t want to see families choose not to apply because they fear paperwork headaches.

"I’m coming from the point of view that tired, hungry kids learn better when they (are fed)," said Debbie Webber, food and nutrition services manager for the Everett School District. "I think all kids need to be able to have meals at school."

"We are not serving everyone we consider eligible for the program," said Kim Schmanke, a spokeswoman for the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Statewide, 76 percent of eligible students receive free or discounted meals, according to state statistics. Some students and families choose not to accept the free meals even though they can be received anonymously.

"Our focus is on getting to kids who need it," Schmanke said. "We don’t want to scare or intimidate a parent whose child needs this from doing it."

Since 1997, the number of students in the state eligible for free meals has been declining while there has been a corresponding increase in the number of students applying for a reduced-price meal.

A family of four with an annual income of up to $22,945 can qualify for free school meals this year. The cutoff for the discount rate is $32,653.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446

or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.