‘Uncertainty’ hangs over Upper Darby’s free lunch program

Pennsylvania’s budget is four months late. The stalemate in Harrisburg has created a dual crisis for chronically underfunded school districts.

About 12,500 kids are enrolled in the Upper Darby School District in Delaware County.

In a video message to families, Superintendent Dan McGarry said Tuesday that the district is at a crossroads. It costs $25 million a month to operate its schools.

“If there is not a budget passed soon, we are going to have to go out and borrow money and pay interest on that money — in a school community that already cannot afford to have even more funding passed on to our local taxpayers,” McGarry said.

Upper Darby operates a free breakfast and lunch program for all enrolled students, regardless of economic background.

“There is uncertainty about how that program will continue to function in the near future without a federal budget,” McGarry said. “At this point in time, we have received information that we are OK through the month of October. We do not yet know what will happen as we move forward. But I want to let you know that we’re going to continue to do our best to make sure that we are providing breakfast and lunch to all of the students here in the Upper Darby School District.”

Wendy Elgart, the district’s director of federal programs, grants and food service, sent a notice to families Friday afternoon about its Community Eligibility Provision program, the free breakfast and lunch service, which is funded in partnership with the federal and state government.

“At this time, the state has no budget passed, and the funds that allow for that reimbursement are in question,” Elgart said. “The district is committed to doing everything in its power to continue to serve all of our students two meals a day. At this time, we have sufficient district food service funds to continue to feed our students breakfast and lunch through December, 2025.”