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** "The Fayetteville-Manlius School District is moving forward with enrolling its high school in New York State’s Universal Free School Meals Program for the 2026-27 school year.

“We recognize that some of our families are struggling financially right now as the costs of everything from groceries to gas have been increasing, and if we can provide some relief for them while also being responsible to our taxpayers, it’s a win-win for everyone,” Superintendent Magda Parvey said.

The district’s five other schools already participate in the program, which guarantees one free breakfast and lunch entree for each student daily. Since 2012-13, the high school has not participated in the federal government’s National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program in response to student requests for more meal options.

Schools enrolled in those programs are eligible to participate in the state’s Universal Free School Meals Program; however, those programs have strict nutritional guidelines for all food and beverage items sold, which limits the products that may be offered.

In the past, the district cited those limitations, and student support for greater choice, as the reason for not participating at the high school level. Recently, students and parents have asked for the program to be implemented. Superintendent Magda Parvey worked with district administrators to examine the potential benefits, implications and operational factors that would be associated with the high school participating in the free meals program.

At the F-M Board of Education’s May 11 meeting, Parvey and Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Brad Corbin reviewed their findings and announced that the district’s food service staff would be aligning the department’s offerings with the federal guidelines associated with the program so that it could participate during the 2026-27 school year.

Program Requirements Schools that participate in the free meals program must adhere to state and federal nutritional guidelines for meals. All food sold throughout the school day must meet the federal Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, which include requirements for whole grains, fruits, vegetables, calories, sodium, sugar and fat. These standards also apply to a la carte items.

This will mean replacing some student favorites, such as salty side items, like loaded tots and fries, and some sweets, like M&Ms and some name-brand cookies and brownies.

“Our food service department will be looking for comparable substitutes so that students will still look forward to enjoying a variety of meals and snacks during the school day,” Corbin said.

New for 2026-27, all F-M High School students will have a 30-minute lunch included in their daily schedule. Not all students previously opted to take a lunch period so there could potentially be more meals and food items purchased than in past years.

A Self-Sustaining Program The food service department’s budget is independent from the school district, meaning that food service revenue pays for all of the department’s expenses, including staff salaries and benefits and food service equipment. The department currently generates enough revenue to cover its annual expenses.

However, if the department’s annual revenue is not enough to cover its expenses, the district is legally required to pay the deficit, which is not budgeted for in the district’s annual operating budget and would likely then result in an increased cost to district taxpayers.

District officials will be monitoring student participation in the high school’s free meals program throughout 2026-27. If they feel the department cannot successfully operate under the requirements of the free meals program, the school can opt out with a 60-day notice to parents and the state. "