6/5 Child Nutrition Services Special Update

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 06/05/2025 03:25 PM PDT

6/5 Child Nutrition Services Special Update

Update: Paid Lunch Equity Guidance for School Year 2025–26

Update: Paid Lunch Equity Guidance for School Year 2025–26

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released SP 12-2025: Paid Lunch Equity Guidance for School Year 2025-26 and the Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Tool for school year (SY) 2025–26. The tool is now available on the NSLP Requirements & Materials webpage under the "Financial Management" dropdown.

Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Requirements

USDA will offer an exemption from PLE pricing requirements to programs with a positive or zero balance in the non-profit school food service account as of June 30, 2024. LEAs operating CEP or Provision 2 in a non-base year district-wide and Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) with no day students are also exempt from PLE requirements.

LEAs that had a negative balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2024, must follow PLE requirements and complete the PLE Tool for SY 2025–26. To meet the PLE requirements, LEAs must choose one of the following options:

Raise paid lunch prices (the maximum required price increase is $0.10).

Contribute non-federal funds in lieu of raising paid lunch prices.

Split the costs by raising paid lunch prices AND contributing non-federal funds.

PLE Tool Information

The PLE tool is used to determine the weighted average paid lunch price, the new paid lunch price, or amount of non-federal funds that must be contributed to the non-profit school food service account. When completing the PLE Tool for SY 2025-26, Local Education Agencies (LEAs) should use pricing/sales data from October 2024 and the weighted average price requirement from the SY 2024–25 PLE Tool.

Reference the PLE Tool Instructions document for more information on completing the tool.

Questions?  Please contact your Program Specialist or email SchoolMeals@k12.wa.us.

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

ADA NOTIFICATION FOR OSPI CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES EVENTS
To arrange accommodations for persons with disabilities for OSPI Child Nutrition Services events, please contact the Child Nutrition Services Team at 360-725-6200, TTY 360-664-3631, or by email, child.nutrition@k12.wa.us at least three business days before the event. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require OSPI to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

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