BUFFALO, N.Y. — A new report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office finds that millions of taxpayer dollars set aside for the state’s 30% ‘Buy Local’ School Lunch Reimbursement Program are going unused, and according to school districts, administrative issues are the number one problem.
Created in 2018, the program provides additional state reimbursement for school *lunch programs that spend at least 30% of their food costs on New York State sources. The program increases the reimbursement schools receive for *lunches from $0.059 to $0.25 per meal.
However, according to the report, only about 10 percent of eligible school food authorities, or 73 out of 762, were approved for reimbursement last school year. Out of the $10 million allocated each year, less than $3 million has been used annually over the past three years. The unused funding of approximately $21 million has been returned to the general fund…