MANITOWOC, Wis. (WFRV) – Some Manitowoc families will no longer qualify for free lunches, and parents are not happy with the decision.

The pandemic may have given all students in Manitowoc public schools the opportunity to receive free lunch, but the district is cutting that back this year. Now, only students whose parents make about $27,000-93,000, depending on household size, qualify for free lunches.

Some parents, like William Delaney, are not thrilled about the decision. He says, “To me and my family, it makes no sense to us not to have free lunch and breakfast for students. This sounds politically motivated, and that is not fair to hungry children.”

Superintendent James Fiel says why he is standing by his decision.

“I’m just wanting to make sure the money is where the need is at and not going beyond that. I’m thinking about the students and taxpayers. I shouldn’t be asking for money we don’t really need,” Fiel says.

He also says putting the funding from free lunches into other services like special needs programs will go a long way.

Fiel says, “I’m trying to create the greatest leverage possible to make sure that we are equipping our kids academically to succeed in life. For me to take resources that I might not need is taking away resources from somebody who has need, and that just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Any parents who have concerns about the program can contact the district office. To apply for free lunches, click here.