Maine
All Maine students can now get free lunches, no application needed. What does that mean for poverty data?
Maine was one of the first states to pass legislation providing free school lunches to all students after pandemic-era funding expired — a policy that has been adopted in seven other states and is being considered across the country.
But since the law took effect a year and a half ago, some districts have struggled with an unintended consequence: Now that parents no longer need to fill out applications to get their children access to free meals, officials have lost an important source of data on their district’s low-income households, information traditionally used for funding.
The free and reduced-price meal application, a federal form sent home with students at the start of the school year, allows districts to determine what percentage of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
That information has traditionally been used to allocate funding to districts and schools, and identify whether students or teachers are eligible for certain grants or waivers.
But now that meals are free for all students, fewer parents are filling out the forms. In RSU 71 in Belfast, for instance, the district received just two forms last year. This year it has received none.
Traditionally, districts have been reimbursed by the state for all meals. The federal government then reimburses the state based on the percentage of these meals that were free or reduced-price; if parents don’t fill out the forms, their children are considered able to pay for full-price meals, and the state gets a smaller payout.
Today, the state is still reimbursing districts for each meal they provide, but the question is how much the state is getting from the federal government, said Justin Strasburger, executive director of Full Plates Full Potential, a group that advocates for child nutrition.
“They should be getting the full amount for every student who qualifies, but we know that that’s underreported, and so that means the state has been on the hook for a larger percentage of that reimbursement than it should be,” he said.
His organization has tried to spread awareness about the usefulness of these forms, even as meals are free for all students.
“We’ve worked really hard to lead outreach campaigns to get people to fill out the application,” he said. “But it is one more hoop you’re asking people in poverty to jump through.”
David Knight, an associate professor of education finance and policy at the University of Washington College of Education, said free and reduced meal data has always been a flawed metric for measuring student poverty “because it is a binary indicator of whether you’re eligible or not eligible.”
Many who study education policy have wanted to move away from it for a long time, he said.
This school year, the Maine Department of Education stopped using free and reduced-price meal data to allocate Title I funding to low-income districts. Title I funding is federal money meant to supplement state and local education budgets with the goal of helping low-income students — who have consistently been shown to have worse educational outcomes than their wealthier peers — succeed in school.
And more than half of Maine’s districts have adopted school nutrition programs that don’t rely on these forms.
Despite the administrative challenges and questions about funding, experts and school officials say the move to universal free lunch has been an unequivocally positive development for students.
In RSU 71, the director of school nutrition Perley Martin said the district is actually getting reimbursed more than before, as a greater number of students are eating breakfast and lunch at school. Last year the number of students eating breakfast was up by 19 percent and lunch by 9 percent.
“So I’m not really seeing the impact of parents not filling out this form as far as the food service program,” Martin said.
But, he said the district’s Title I funding has been affected. The superintendent did not respond to questions about exactly how Title I funding has been impacted.
According to state data, 38 percent of RSU 71 students qualified for free and reduced-price meals in the 2022-23 school year, compared to almost 56 percent in 2018. This shift does not correspond to a drastic change in poverty levels but is simply due to missing information, Martin said.
The best idea for the state, Martin said, might be to find another way to collect data on economically disadvantaged students.
“I don’t believe free and reduced lunch applications are going to come back,” he said.
This is something the Maine Department of Education has acknowledged.
“We’ve been hearing loud and clear from important stakeholders (…) about the unintentional negative impact of the incredibly positive move to universal free lunch for all students,” said Cheryl Lang, the ESEA federal programs director at the Maine Department of Education, in a video update last year.
“This much-needed move had the consequence, as you know, of the reduction in families turning in those free and reduced lunch forms, which is what Title I has used for alternative data for small districts — districts under 20,000 — in reallocating Title I funding more accurately for our state.”
Lang said the department was researching alternative ways to measure poverty under the parameters set by the federal government, focusing on “what will do the least harm to our districts.”
While large districts such as Bangor and Portland schools are locked into the census formula the federal government uses for Title I funding, the state has the option to use other poverty data to allocate funds in smaller districts, Title I specialist Rita Pello explained in the video.
In 2002, Maine decided that counting the number of free meals was the best way to measure student poverty in small districts — the method used until this year. But with the pandemic and Maine’s move to universal free meals, the context has changed, said Jessica Caron, another Title I specialist, in the video.
“Because students are eating for free, which we support completely, … there’s not as much incentive to fill out those forms. This is happening in Maine, and it is also happening across the country,” she said.
For the past three school years, the department and districts used pre-pandemic school lunch data to determine allocations, but now the federal Department of Education said that was no longer permissible. Maine education officials then started researching other ways of measuring student poverty in small districts.
While some other states use census data, Caron said her department found that isn’t a reliable indicator of the poverty levels in rural districts.
For this school year, the state decided to use direct certification data, which determines student eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch without household applications, instead looking at whether students qualify for SNAP or TANF benefits, or are in foster care, are part of a migrant family or have experienced homelessness. The department also applied to add MaineCare eligibility to the list and expects to hear back this spring, according to a spokesperson.
The department then multiplies the number of students on the direct certification list by 1.6, per a federally approved formula, to bolster the poverty count. Pello said the department hoped this method would offer consistent data year to year, and keep small districts eligible that just barely meet the threshold.
While school lunch forms are no longer used in the department’s Title I allocation, they are still required for child nutrition data collection, and can be used as one of the three data sources for Maine’s school funding formula.
When determining the share of local and state funding for each school, department officials use a mixture of the school lunch data, direct certification data and data collected via an alternative form, according to a department spokesperson. The newly introduced alternative form detaches family income collection from school meal data, and is only meant to be used to inform funding calculations.
One school nutrition option that some districts adopted is the Community Eligibility Provision, a national program that allows schools in high-poverty areas to offer meals to all students for free. Under CEP, schools do not require parents to provide income information but instead rely on direct certification data.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees school lunch programs, recently lowered the threshold of low-income households necessary to participate in CEP from 40 to 25 percent. This change will go into effect in the next school year, making more Maine schools eligible for CEP.
As of the 2022-23 school year, 66 percent of eligible school districts in the state had adopted CEP.
RSU 10 in western Maine adopted CEP before the pandemic. All but two schools in the district are on CEP, and the district plans to switch those two this year, according to Jeanne LaPointe, the food nutrition director.
LaPointe said RSU 10 parents had been hesitant to fill out the school lunch eligibility forms.
“Folks weren’t wanting to provide us that information because they felt it was too sensitive to be sending back into a school, and they felt that there were too many eyes on their private information,” she said. “CEP kind of cuts through all of that, and it just gets meals to kids. And it takes that financial burden off the families.”
They were built decades ago in some of the most picturesque spots across Maine — manmade mountains of granite and brick, concrete and steel, rising beside rivers that powered the state’s booming textile industry through the 1800s and 1900s.
Now, these old mills are increasingly being converted to housing and other purposes. In Biddeford’s sprawling mill district, a variety of housing projects have been completed or are underway, including 154 apartments in the former Pepperell Mill that are being leased or sold as condominiums.
Two of the most recent conversions are Picker House Lofts, a mixed-income rental property in Lewiston, and The Spinning Mill, a housing and commercial project in Skowhegan. Both opened last year.
The Spinning Mill, including 41 apartments, a boutique hotel and a restaurant, received a 2026 Honor Award from Maine Preservation for excellence in historic preservation and rehabilitation.
Here’s a look at those three mill conversions.
The Spinning Mill
Location: Skowhegan, Somerset County
Waterfront: Kennebec River
Year built: 1922
Year renovated: 2025
Number of units: 41
Monthly rent: $1,510-2,750, utility and amenity fees vary
In its peak years, the Maine Spinning Co. employed 300 people and produced 2 million pounds of wool yarn annually in the heart of the downtown district, closing in 2005. High Tide Capital of Bangor purchased the site in 2019 and began a $20 million residential and commercial redevelopment project.
The conversion suffered a major setback in December 2023, when the storm-churned Kennebec fooded the first floor, causing more than $3 million in damage. An economic recovery grant from the state helped the developers clean up and continue.
The adaptive reuse respected the building’s history, preserving wooden floors and high ceilings, oversized windows and exposed brick walls. Modern plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems were installed, along with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.
The four-story building includes studio through three-bedroom units, ranging from 630 to 1,300 square feet. Amenities include a fitness center, mini movie theater, coworking space, resident lounge and art studio. The property also includes The Skowhegan, a 20-room boutique hotel, and the Biergarten, a German-themed restaurant and event space with riverside patio.
Contact: Yates Murphy, The Spinning Mill, 207-951-6475
Picker House Lofts
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Location: Lewiston, Androscoggin County
Waterfront: Androscoggin River
Year built: 1855
Year renovated: 2025
Number of units: 72
Monthly rent: $1,495-2,000 (26 market-rate units); $801-1,332 (46 subsidized); heat, hot water and basic Wi-Fi included
Part of the 7-acre Continental Mill complex, Picker House Lofts is a 79,000-square-foot, mixed-income rental property developed by The Szanton Co. of Portland. The remaining 481,000 square feet of former factory space is being developed to include more than 300 additional apartments along with office, retail and light industrial uses by Chinburg Properties of Newmarket, New Hampshire.
Named for its original function, the five-story building is where workers called “pickers” removed seeds, twigs and other debris from raw cotton before it was woven into cloth.
It includes one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with 46 reserved for households with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income, which ranges from $35,880 for a single person to $51,240 for four people, according to MaineHousing.
The developers preserved historic features where possible, including wood floors, huge operable windows and 13-foot ceilings with exposed overhead carrying beams, while adding modern fixtures, utilities and appliances.
Amenities include a fitness center, indoor bike storage, landscaped courtyard with picnic tables and a communal lounge with adjoining roof deck that overlooks the Androscoggin River. It’s located downtown near a farmers market, museums and a park with a fitness court.
Contact: Saco Falls Management, 207-228-8800
Pepperell Mill
Location: Biddeford, York County
Waterfront: Saco River
Year built: 1845
Year renovated: 2008
Number of units: 154
Monthly rent: $1,695-2,995, utilities and wifi included
Originally converted by local developer Doug Sanford, apartments in the Pepperell Mill Campus retain many historic features from its textile-weaving past, including 10- to 18-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls and beams, and honey-colored maple floors.
Now owned and managed by Texas-based Presidium, the property is available to lease or purchase residential units as they come on the market, providing what the company calls a “try before you buy” opportunity. It’s part of a 17-acre complex in the heart of a downtown that includes a variety of small businesses, artists, restaurants, breweries and coffee shops.
Apartments range from economical studios to luxury two-bedroom, two-bathroom units that include washer-dryer hookups. Available condos are priced from $325,000 to $1.5 million, according to Portside Real Estate Group.
Units feature modern finishes and oversized, industrial-style windows, many with views of the Saco River. Amenities include smart laundry facilities, green spaces with seating areas and gas grills, riverside picnic areas and a dog-washing station.
Contact: Pepperell Mill Campus, 207-282-5577, Ext. 201
PORTLAND, Maine (WGME) — It’s graduation season, and 37 medical school grads received their degrees Saturday at USM.
The students graduated from the MaineHealth Maine Track program, which is a part of Tufts Univeristy in Boston.
Program leaders say students specifically trained in community-based medical practices across Maine.
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Eleven of the graduates will begin their residencies at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland.
David Heidrich lives in Augusta.
From the cliffs of Acadia to the woods and waters of Katahdin’s national monument, Maine’s public lands are more than scenic, they are the backbone of our economy and way of life. Anyone who has spent any amount of time in these or other public places knows that they offer more than just natural beauty. They are central to our identity, drawing visitors from around the world, supporting small businesses and sustaining jobs in communities across the state.
As someone deeply invested in the success of Maine’s outdoor recreation and tourism industries, I know that investing in our public lands will support thriving communities for generations to come. But maintaining these places requires more than appreciation, it requires sustained investment and action.
In 2020, Congress recognized that many of our country’s national parks and other public lands were suffering from decades of deferred maintenance. Roads, bridges, water systems, historic structures and visitor facilities were aging faster than they could be repaired. In response, lawmakers passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which created the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF).
This landmark legislation provided five years of dedicated funding to address long-overdue repairs on federal lands. Here in Maine, the LRF delivered $54 million for critical repairs to our public lands. These investments supported projects at places like Acadia National Park — improving trails, restoring historic carriage roads and upgrading essential infrastructure — as well as work on national forests and wildlife refuges across the state. These projects have served to protect natural resources, improve safety and enhance visitor experiences while supporting local economies.
Now, with that funding having expired, Congress is considering the America the Beautiful Act, introduced by Sen. Steve Daines of Montana and Maine’s own Sen. Angus King. The bill has received strong bipartisan support, and I want to thank Sen. King and Sen. Collins for their leadership in advocating for this important legislation.
The America the Beautiful Act rises above politics and reflects a shared commitment to conservation and safeguarding the places that help define both Maine and our nation. By continuing to invest in our public lands, we ensure they sustain local economies while preserving natural resources for residents, visitors and future generations alike.
Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of Maine’s economy. Each year, millions of visitors come to experience our parks, trails, waterways and working forests — supporting roughly 32,000 jobs and generating $3.9 billion in economic activity. That is approximately 5% of Maine’s workforce and 4% of its GDP, respectively. Communities throughout Maine depend on these visitors, and the continued health of our public lands is essential to their continued success.
While important progress has been made, maintenance backlogs on our federal lands persist and require reliable, long-term funding. Congress should pass the America the Beautiful Act because it would provide $2 billion per year for eight additional years to address ongoing maintenance needs across national parks and public lands — without raising taxes.
This is accomplished by: 1) dedicating lease and royalty payments from energy producers operating on federal lands and waters to conservation, 2) requiring federal agencies to identify and dispose of unneeded assets, and 3) leveraging private funding by introducing a preference for projects with a 15% financial match from private stakeholders or nonprofit organizations.
By passing this legislation, Congress can ensure that Maine’s treasured public lands remain safe, accessible and vibrant. If we want future generations to experience Maine as we know it today, we need to invest in it now.
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