TY - JOUR
T1 - Impacts of Covid-19 School Closures on School Food Service Revenue
T2 - Analysis of Public Local Education Agencies in Maryland
AU - Zafari, Zafar
AU - Cohen, Juliana F.W.
AU - Sessom-Parks, Leslie
AU - Lessard, Donovan
AU - Cooper, Michele
AU - Hager, Erin
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Linda Worrel from Maryland State Department of Education for her critical comments on the earlier version of the manuscript. This study was funded by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs and the Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN). MSDE and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are equal opportunity providers. Funders had no roles in study design, analysis, or interpretation of findings.
Funding Information:
In Maryland, each county has a public LEA. These 24 LEAs, consisting of 23 county LEAs and 1 city LEA, vary in size and geographic locale (number of schools per LEA ranged between 5 and 215 in the SY 2019-2020). On mid-March of 2020, these LEAs closed by state mandate due to Covid-19 and began providing meals under SFSP beginning on March 16, 2020. In addition, all waivers, including the elimination of area eligibility criteria, meal service time flexibility, allowing noncongregate feeding, and meal pattern flexibility, were adopted by all 24 public LEAs in Maryland, as they each operated SFSP during the pandemic. Data from all 24 public LEAs in Maryland were used in this study. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) provided data for the public LEAs in the state, including federal and state reimbursement for CNPs (ie, NSLP, SBP, SFSP, and at-risk CACFP) for the SY 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. This data was provided on a monthly basis. For SBP, reimbursement funds from both the USDA and state (eg, funds from the State Supplemental Reduced program and the Maryland Meals for Achievement [MMFA] program) were included. For NSLP, federal reimbursements for lunches, snacks, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) were included. Lastly, state funding for the State Supplemental Reduced program and the State Revenue Match program were also provided. In addition to financial data, monthly data on the number of free or reduced-price meals across all public LEAs were provided by MSDE. This monthly data enabled both annual comparisons for the SYs 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, including during the initial Covid-19-related school shutdowns (March-June of 2020). This study did not involve any human subjects and was deemed exempt by the University of Maryland's Institutional Review Board. In Maryland, each county has a public LEA. These 24 LEAs, consisting of 23 county LEAs and 1 city LEA, vary in size and geographic locale (number of schools per LEA ranged between 5 and 215 in the SY 2019-2020). On mid-March of 2020, these LEAs closed by state mandate due to Covid-19 and began providing meals under SFSP beginning on March 16, 2020. In addition, all waivers, including the elimination of area eligibility criteria, meal service time flexibility, allowing noncongregate feeding, and meal pattern flexibility, were adopted by all 24 public LEAs in Maryland, as they each operated SFSP during the pandemic. Data from all 24 public LEAs in Maryland were used in this study. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) provided data for the public LEAs in the state, including federal and state reimbursement for CNPs (ie, NSLP, SBP, SFSP, and at-risk CACFP) for the SY 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. This data was provided on a monthly basis. For SBP, reimbursement funds from both the USDA and state (eg, funds from the State Supplemental Reduced program and the Maryland Meals for Achievement [MMFA] program) were included. For NSLP, federal reimbursements for lunches, snacks, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) were included. Lastly, state funding for the State Supplemental Reduced program and the State Revenue Match program were also provided. In addition to financial data, monthly data on the number of free or reduced-price meals across all public LEAs were provided by MSDE. This monthly data enabled both annual comparisons for the SYs 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, including during the initial Covid-19-related school shutdowns (March-June of 2020). This study did not involve any human subjects and was deemed exempt by the University of Maryland's Institutional Review Board. Random-effects linear regression models were used to quantify the monthly changes in federal and state reimbursements associated with the school shutdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic for public LEAs in Maryland. The model used a random intercept and random coefficient for a dichotomous variable indicating school shutdown status, which measured changes of these parameters across the 24 public LEAs in Maryland. Models controlled for month, student body size, and number of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. In the main analysis, data from the SBP, NSLP, SFSP, and at-risk CACFP were examined, as these were the primary programs that were used to provide meals to students. Finally, we compared the group mean for changes in number of meals served and changes in federal and state revenues during the school shutdown for different tertiles of the proportion of LEA students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. We compared the mean group changes using the 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and multiple pairwise group comparisons using the Tukey Honest Significant Differences test.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American School Health Association.
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - Background: The public health policies and school closures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic have created disruptions in school meal programs. Research is needed to understand the changes in school food service revenue before and during the initial Covid-19-related school shutdowns. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study examining federal and state reimbursements as well as sales revenues for all public local education agencies (LEAs) in Maryland from school years (SY) 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 was conducted. Monthly changes in federal and state reimbursements for Child Nutrition Programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) were examined. Results: In the SY 2018-2019, the total revenues from federal and state reimbursements for SBP, NSLP, SFSP, and at-risk CACFP were $272.9 million; in comparison, for the SY 2019-2020, the total revenues were $241.8 million (11.4% reduction from SY 2018-2019). On average, the school shutdown (during March to June 2020) was associated with a $450,385 (p-value <.01) reduction in federal and state reimbursements per LEA-month (41% reduction). Conclusions: The school shutdown during the Covid-19 pandemic was associated with a statistically significant reduction in school food service revenues across Maryland's public LEAs.
AB - Background: The public health policies and school closures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic have created disruptions in school meal programs. Research is needed to understand the changes in school food service revenue before and during the initial Covid-19-related school shutdowns. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study examining federal and state reimbursements as well as sales revenues for all public local education agencies (LEAs) in Maryland from school years (SY) 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 was conducted. Monthly changes in federal and state reimbursements for Child Nutrition Programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) were examined. Results: In the SY 2018-2019, the total revenues from federal and state reimbursements for SBP, NSLP, SFSP, and at-risk CACFP were $272.9 million; in comparison, for the SY 2019-2020, the total revenues were $241.8 million (11.4% reduction from SY 2018-2019). On average, the school shutdown (during March to June 2020) was associated with a $450,385 (p-value <.01) reduction in federal and state reimbursements per LEA-month (41% reduction). Conclusions: The school shutdown during the Covid-19 pandemic was associated with a statistically significant reduction in school food service revenues across Maryland's public LEAs.
KW - Covid-19
KW - National School Lunch Program
KW - child nutrition programs
KW - federal reimbursement
KW - school meals
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U2 - 10.1111/josh.13299
DO - 10.1111/josh.13299
M3 - Article
C2 - 36825481
AN - SCOPUS:85149700882
SN - 0022-4391
VL - 93
SP - 386
EP - 394
JO - Journal of School Health
JF - Journal of School Health
IS - 5
ER -