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FREE LUNCH LINE GETS LONGER

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By DONNA KOEHN and RONNIE BLAIR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 24, 2008

TAMPA - Evidence of the flagging economy's local effect can be found as close as your neighborhood school's lunch line.

For the first time, more than half of all students in Hillsborough County public schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

"It's 55 percent so far," said Mary Kate Harrison, general manager of student nutrition services. "I've been here 18 years and it's never even been close to that before."

Some children still receive free meals on last year's applications, but those expire Monday. To continue receiving the lunches, parents must resubmit the application each year. Those who haven't done so for 2008-09 need to pick up one at their children's school and turn it in this week.

Harrison predicts the number of qualifying students will be higher than 55 percent by mid-October, when most applications have been processed.

Qualification for the federal program is based on income and the number of family members. This year, a family of four qualifies for free lunches if annual household income is $27,560 or less. That's 2.7 percent more than last year's level for a family of the same size.

The district increased lunch prices this year, to $2.25 for elementary students and $2.75 for those in middle and high school. In 2005, students qualifying for reduced-price lunches began receiving those for free.

All students in Hillsborough County are offered a free breakfast, regardless of income.

In Pasco County, almost 43 percent of students were on the free or reduced meal plan as of Monday. That percentage was slightly lower than last year.

However, the number had jumped to 46 percent earlier this school year, dropping again as some applications expired, according to Rick Kurtz, the district's director of food and nutrition services.

Kurtz said 46 percent is closer to what he expected, and the number could go up again as families renew.

"With the economy tanking, who knows what it will be by January," he said.

Reporter Donna Koehn can be reached at (813) 259-8264 or dkoehn@tampatrib.com. Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at rblair@tampatrib

.com or (813) 948-4218.

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