Name: School district faces almost $60K in student lunch debt
Uploaded: 2026-01-15T03:59:15.137Z
Duration: 1 min 50 s
Description: The Talawanda School District has been seeing an increase in student lunch debt and families struggling to pay since the COVID-19 pandemic. We talked to school officials to find out why.

The Talawanda School District has been seeing an increase in student lunch debt and families struggling to pay since the COVID-19 pandemic. We talked to school officials to find out why.

Talawanda

The Talawanda School District has reported a sharp increase in student lunch debt, which has reached nearly $60,000. This rise is attributed to the conclusion of government-funded free meals after the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced state funding, and inflation. 

While the district offers free and reduced-price lunches to qualifying families, many just above the income threshold continue to struggle. Recent efforts to address the debt include anonymous donations, a student-led fundraiser, and a grant application for additional financial support.

School district faces almost $60K in student lunch debt

The Talawanda School District has seen an increase in student lunch debt and family struggling to pay since the COVID-19 pandemic. The $58,000 is an accurate number. How has it gotten this high to almost $60,000? One of the contributing factors is that during COVID, the government made meals free and then COVID funding dried up. Director of Communications Holly Hansel also attributes a lack of state funding and inflation to the increase in lunch debt. If Talawanda elementary students eat breakfast and lunch every day, it costs them $95 per month and 115 a month for middle and high school students. Lunch is expensive whether you pack it or you you let them buy here. That's Madison Wetzel, who until this year was a success liaison at Talawanda High School, although the district offers free and reduced lunches for families who meet a certain income threshold which 40% of their students do meet. Wetzel says it's families just above the threshold that struggled the most. If you're trying to choose between putting $200 on a lunch account for your two kids at the high school that will last you a month, maybe, or paying your electricity bill when it's negative 5 degrees outside, you're going to be like I know those cafeteria workers are going to feed my kids, so I'm going to pay my bill. Talawanda has seen two major anonymous donations come in to help cover the debt totaling around $7000 and a Talawanda High School student even brought in $2000. After a successful fundraiser, but the question remains, how does the district plan to decrease this major debt? We actually just recently applied for a grant in the amount of $16,000. We're really hoping that through a variety of sources will be able to get that debt down in Oxford. Marlena Lang, WCPO 9 news.

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