Changes to federal SNAP, Medicaid programs will require changes to NC's school meal programs

Changes to federal benefit programs will likely mean a loss in free school meals for some students next year, advocates warn.

The "One Big Beautiful Bill," signed into law by President Donald Trump in July, tightens eligibility for the federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance (SNAP) and Medicaid programs -- programs that can in turn make families eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

It tightens eligibility by requiring more recipients to complete additional forms and meet work requirements, and by dropping some legal residents who aren't citizens from the programs. Supporters of the bill, including the North Carolina GOP, celebrated the bill's tax cuts and said they'd increase taxpayers' pocketbooks.

While fewer families will qualify for SNAP and Medicaid, they may still qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. But they'll no longer automatically qualify for the meal program based on their SNAP or Medicaid eligibility. To stay eligible, they'll need to fill out extra paperwork -- paperwork that eligible families often don't fill out, said Tamara Baker, project and communications director for Carolina Hunger Initiative. The Initiative is a research and advocacy group based out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"It is hard to get the children to even bring the forms home," Baker said. Parents also may not know about the program or that there are forms to fill out, she said. But she noted many families may decide not to participate, not wanting to collect a free meal. Even if they are automatically enrolled, families could choose not to participate, she said.

North Carolina families have been automatically enrolled for years based on their eligibility in several other federal programs for lower-income families. Families who aren't eligible for those programs or don't participate in them can still apply for the school meal program via a separate application.

A family of four is eligible for the program this year if their annual income is $41,795 or less. That's about 130% of the federal poverty level.

North Carolina schools received more than $700 million from the federal government last year for school meals, Baker said.

The Wake County school system projects a loss in students enrolled in the free or reduced-price school meal program with the changes, leaders told school board members Tuesday, during the board's budget and finance committee meeting.

Board Chairman Chris Heagarty suggested the school system look into having staff help families complete any newly required paperwork to maintain their SNAP and Medicaid eligibility. School social workers often do that work.

Board members also said the district needs to make sure families are aware of the changes and what they need to do.

The changes will ultimately affect school budgets, too, Baker said.

"There's going to be some serious belt-tightening, and it's going to it's going to trickle down," Baker said.

The school system is also concerned about the potential impact on entire schools. That's because at some schools with a certain percentage of students qualifying for the meal program, the entire school can end up being eligible for free meals under the federal Community Eligibility Provision. If enough students drop out of the program, the entire school could lose that benefit.

The district has 44 schools currently in the Community Eligibility Provision program. Hundreds of schools in North Carolina are in it, and the entire neighboring district of Durham Public Schools is covered by the program.

Wake officials project four schools would fall out of the program for the 2026-27 school year if 10% fewer students are certified for free or reduced-price meals.

The district is also wrestling with a financially strained Child Nutrition Services department, which oversees the meal programs. Rising costs -- including supplies and wages -- have put the department in the red and prompted meal price increases. The school board has voted to increase meal prices by $0.25 each year for the past four years.

Changes to federal programs like Medicaid can have broader impacts on schools, too. That's because individual students' Medicaid can pay for health-related services delivered to those students at schools. Medicaid funded more than $200 million school-based services in the state in 2024.