Bedford School Committee votes to offer all students free meals in 2021-22

BEDFORD — August 16, 2021 — Bedford schools will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students in 2021-22 after the School Committee unanimously voted at its August 16 financial retreat to accept a federal USDA COVID waiver. Superintendent Mike Fournier and Business Director Lisa Ambrosio told the board the federal reimbursement rate under the waiver exceeds what the district would charge students directly, making acceptance "a simple business decision." The district is also sitting on close to $2 million in unspent federal ESSER relief funds across three grant buckets, with ESSER 2 and ESSER 3 — the latter carrying roughly $487,000 received so far and an expected additional $244,000 — available through September 2023. Fournier said the district will survey families and hold a public hearing before a future board meeting to solicit input on how remaining funds are spent. Separately, a draft Capital Expenditure Plan showed ventilation and boiler replacement costs at four school buildings — Peter Woodbury, Memorial, McKelvie, and Riddlebrook — totaling roughly $3 million to $3.5 million, compared with the district's typical annual capital outlay of about $1.2 million, with board member Josh Kneller calling the projected increase "a big budget driver by itself."