Seven of every 10 students poor in Springdale School District

SPRINGDALE -- The percentage of students qualifying for federally subsidized meals at school has reached 70 percent for the second year in a row, district officials said.

The School Board heard an update at its meeting Tuesday on students who receive free or reduced priced meals, an indicator of poverty in schools and a percentage affecting the amount of state poverty money districts receive.

This school year, 70.7 percent of the 21,554 students in the Springdale School District are from low-income families, based on their eligibility for free and reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program, Deputy Superintendent Jared Cleveland told the School Board.

Springdale School District in recent years ranged from 60 to 70 percent of students in poverty, but the 2015-16 school year was the first time district reached 70.5 percent of students qualifying for free and reduced-price meals, Superintendent Jim Rollins said.

"In a district like ours that has a large population of high-needs kids, you need additional services," Rollins said.

The purpose of the state poverty money is to provide services necessary to make sure children from low-income families receive an equitable chance to learn, Rollins said.

Among the state's 259 public school districts and charter schools, 123 had at least 70 percent of students qualifying for federally subsidized meals in 2015-16, according to Arkansas Department of Education records. Statewide, 62.9 percent of students in public schools qualified for free or reduced-price meals, with most qualifying for free meals based on their family income.

Updated information on the numbers of children qualifying for free or reduced-priced lunches this school year will be available Nov. 1, department spokeswoman Kimberly Friedman said.

The state poverty money was established with legislation passed in 2003 and is separate from the reimbursements schools receive from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for meal programs.

The state has three tiers for paying out poverty money: One tier for districts with fewer than 70 percent of students receiving subsidized meals, a second tier for districts with 70 percent to 90 percent of students in the program and tier for districts with more than 90 percent of students in the program.

Students can apply for the federal meal program at any time, but the state poverty money is based on the Oct. 1 count of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, said Kelly Hayes, the district's comptroller. The money is paid based on the count from in the previous school year, and districts transition over three years to a higher level of money, Hayes said.

Springdale School District was in the second tier of money this school year based on its 2015-16 percentage of students qualifying for federally subsidized meals, Hayes said. The district this school year received $10,510,794, an amount representing what the district historically had received, plus one-third of the higher level of money that comes from being in the second tier, Hayes said.

With 70.7 percent of students from low-income families this school year, the district next year will receive its historical allocation, plus two-thirds of what is paid per student at the second tier, Hayes said.

The money is budgeted for intervention programs, student technology, teacher's aides, for school nurses, instructional facilitators who support teachers, pre-kindergarten, school resources officers, training and the district's alternative education program, Hayes said.

Children from low-income families commonly come to school with gaps in their learning, especially in their vocabulary, said Kathy Morledge, an assistant superintendent.

In Springdale schools, the state poverty money has paid for kits aimed at helping children overcome gaps in their learning, especially in reading, Morledge said. Money also goes toward teacher's aides to allow teachers to work with smaller groups of students, she said.

NW News on 10/12/2016