DAYTON, Ohio — The White House's federal funding freeze was blocked but a lot of confusion remains when it comes to school funding. Ohio school leaders are taking action just in case there's any loss in federal dollars.

What You Need To Know

  • School districts rely on federal funding to pay for the lunches that are free or reduced to low-income students but it's unclear how long it will last

  • The Dayton Public Schools superintendent says they have enough in reserves to pay for school lunches out of its general fund for the next two years 
  • The Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent would not comment on the funding issue

School lunches might be free for low-income students but it’s not really free at all. 

School districts rely on federal funding to cover the costs students and their families can’t afford, but it’s not clear whether those payments will keep coming beyond this school year. 

“It's like having another bill without making any more money. In fact, it's like having another bill and possibly making less money," said Dayton Public Schools Superintendent David Lawrence. 

Lawrence runs a district with more than 13,000 students located Dayton, a city where research shows one in every four children faces food insecurity.

Lawrence is concerned about new executive orders and other budget proposals potentially cutting off lunch funds.

“We get a check back, so to speak, a refund, but with this new new legislation that they're talking about now, it will require us to do more to get a refund,  and if you have to do more in terms of paperwork, parents don't supply that as much, and then if you get less money in a refund, we won't be able to generate the type of resources that we're generating right now," said Lawrence. 

There’s been a pause on the Trump administration’s order to freeze those funds but Lawrence says they have a plan if they end up losing money. 

“You can't not have lunch, it just can't happen, and so we have enough in financial reserves to do this for probably a little over two years, to fund it ourselves if we have to, if there are any type of drastic cuts, but not everyone’s in the same position as we are," said Lawrence.

Spectrum News reached out to an even bigger school district that has 35,0000 students, Cincinnati Public Schools. 

The CPS superintendent sent out a recent message to parents. 

“We focus on learning and growth, supporting the whole child, and ensuring every child has what they need to succeed," said CPS Superintendent Shauna Murphy.

But a CPS spokesperson says she will not be commenting on federal funding for school lunches because of all of the uncertainty surrounding it but Lawrence says there is one thing for certain that their district is prepared for the worst.

“What I keep saying right now is everybody calm down, don’t panic, and we have enough for now.”