Georgetown bank makes donation to pay off school meal debt at 4 schools

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) -- Georgetown Independent School District recently received a $1,138 donation from A+ Federal Credit Union in Georgetown to pay off lunch balances.

The donation covered the balance for students at four campuses across the district.

“We know that banking on each other and building stronger communities benefits everyone,” said Eric R. Kase, A+ FCU President/CEO. “By paying off the deficit meal balances for students in a partner district, we hope to ease a financial burden on families so they can focus their dollars on other important family needs.”

GISD said families can qualify for free or reduced lunch prices if they complete an application. Furthermore, districts "have seen a decline in the number of applications being turned in."

If families qualify, they can then receive "more than discounted meals for their students," according to the district. The application can also help students with "extracurricular activities, college admissions tests and applications and more."

This is made possible due to Title 1 funding for public schools that allows districts to help students pay for these fees, according to GISD.

The district is able to to determine the percentage of students who are "economically disadvantaged" once they qualify for free or reduced lunch, which is 43%, the district said in a news release.