(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha Unified School District families are facing a significant change to the district’s school meal program this year, with 17 schools no longer participating in a program that previously provided breakfast and lunch to every student at no charge regardless of household income.
The change has generated questions and calls from parents during the opening days of the 2026-27 school year. KUSD officials told the Kenosha County Eye that the decision was financial: continuing to provide universally free meals districtwide would have cost the district approximately $250,000 every month beyond what the federal meal program would reimburse.
KUSD expanded the Community Eligibility Program, or CEP, to the entire district during the 2022-23 school year. CEP is a federal program that allows qualifying schools to provide breakfast and lunch to every enrolled student without charging families or requiring individual students to qualify through a household meal application.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
According to KUSD Chief Communications Officer Tanya Ruder, the district was able to expand CEP districtwide because its Food Service Fund, known as Fund 50, had sufficient reserves at the time to cover the difference between the actual cost of meals and what the program reimbursed.
Those reserves have now been depleted.
“Because the Fund 50 reserves have been depleted, the Board approved returning to a partial CEP beginning in the 2026-27 school year,” Ruder told KCE. She said continuing districtwide CEP would have left approximately $250,000 per month in meal expenses unreimbursed.
Fund 50 is separate from KUSD’s primary operating fund and is specifically used for the district’s meal program. According to Ruder, it receives money through federal and state reimbursements as well as payments made for student meals and is intended to operate on a self-sustaining basis.
Allowing the food service fund to run a deficit would eventually require KUSD to use money from its General Fund, or Fund 10, to cover the shortfall. Ruder said that was not considered financially feasible because the district’s General Fund is already dealing with a deficit exceeding $17 million.
What Changed For Families
Fourteen KUSD schools remain part of CEP for the 2026-27 school year. Every student attending those schools continues to receive breakfast and lunch at no charge, regardless of household income and without having to qualify individually for free or reduced-price meals.
Those schools are Bose Elementary, Brass Community School, Bullen Middle School, Curtis Strange Elementary, Frank Elementary, Grant Elementary, Grewenow Elementary, Hillcrest School, Irene Santos Learning Station, Kenosha School of Language, Reuther Central High School, Roosevelt Elementary, Southport Elementary and Washington Middle School.
Students at 17 other KUSD schools no longer automatically receive free meals under CEP. Families at those schools must pay regular meal prices unless their household qualifies for free or reduced-price meals through the annual application process.
Those non-CEP schools are Bradford High School, Forest Park Elementary, Harborside Academy, Harvey Elementary, Indian Trail High School and Academy, Jeffery Elementary, LakeView K-8 Academy, LakeView Technology Academy, Lance Middle School, Mahone Middle School, Nash Elementary, Pleasant Prairie Elementary, Prairie Lane Elementary, Ruth Harman Academy, Somers Elementary, Tremper High School and Whittier Elementary.
Families Can Still Qualify For Free Or Reduced-Price Meals
The end of districtwide CEP does not mean lower-income students at those 17 schools have lost access to free or reduced-price meals.
Families whose children attend non-CEP schools can still qualify based on household eligibility by completing KUSD’s annual Free and Reduced Meal Application. Ruder said approved applications are updated in the district’s system by the following morning.
KUSD is encouraging families to complete the application even if their children attend one of the 14 schools where meals remain free for everyone.
That is because the application is used for more than determining the price of breakfast and lunch. According to the district, information from the application can also affect eligibility for athletics fee waivers, fine arts fee waivers, Advanced Placement testing fee waivers and Wisconsin School Day Milk. It can also help schools qualify for Title I funding used for academic services, instructional support and other resources.
Previous-year applications do not remain valid indefinitely. KUSD says families must complete a new application annually, and prior-year applications expire in mid-October.
At CEP schools, however, a family’s failure to complete the application does not affect the student’s ability to receive free breakfast and lunch. KUSD’s July Food Service notice specifically states that students at participating CEP schools receive the meals without paying a fee or submitting a meal application.
District Says Families Were Notified Repeatedly
Some parents have complained that they were unaware of the change until the school year began or until their children attempted to obtain meals.
KUSD, however, provided KCE with records showing the district sent multiple communications about the transition throughout the spring and summer.
According to Ruder, an initial email and text concerning the CEP change was sent May 27 and again July 16. Food Service information was sent July 2. Back-to-school information containing the meal program notice was distributed July 17, Aug. 3, Aug. 4 and Aug. 25. The district’s family newsletter included the information Aug. 12, and another reminder was sent Sept. 2. Registration reminders throughout the summer also directed parents to complete the annual meal application, and individual schools sent notices to families as well.
The district’s back-to-school bulletin included an entire section explaining that KUSD was moving from districtwide CEP to partial CEP, listing both participating and non-participating schools and directing families to complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application.
Still, the volume of questions from parents appears to have continued into the first week of school. KUSD sent another reminder Sept. 2 explaining the change and directing families with questions about applications, eligibility, meal account balances or meal status to Food Services at 262-359-6382.
For families at the 17 non-CEP schools, the key point is simple: free meals are no longer automatic for every student. Families who believe they qualify for free or reduced-price meals need to complete the annual application.
Students at the 14 CEP schools will continue receiving breakfast and lunch at no charge regardless of whether their family submits the application, although KUSD continues to encourage those families to complete it because of the other benefits and school funding tied to the information.
2 Responses
How do the KUSD employees sleep at night? A bunch of frauds.
Feed your own kids.