The Bristol Township School District will feel the impact of federal program cuts that eliminate funding for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farms and ranchers.
U.S. Department of Agriculture program cancellations will hold back more than $1 billion in federal spending, including approximately $660 million earmarked for schools and childcare facilities through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program in 2025, according to reports.
“This is actually something that is impacting some of the programming that we’ve had in this district,” School Board Member Amanda Geist said during a school board meeting Tuesday evening.
Brandon Lang, the district’s food service director, told LevittownNow.com the school system does not yet know the amount of funding it will lose next school year through the Local Food for Schools program.
“Although the news of funding cuts is disappointing, the district is committed to keeping all of its current programs. Through the PA Farm to School Grant, BTSD has had the opportunity to partner with a local company to supply the middle schools with fresh, Pennsylvania-grown fruits and vegetables, and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which is also grant-funded, provides Pennsylvania-grown produce to Keystone Elementary. The district believes in supporting local agriculture while also providing students with the freshest produce possible and would like to expand fresh food programs in other Bristol Township schools,” he said.
The district will continue to make sure students are fed with support from local partnerships, the school board, and district administration, according to a statement.
According to the School Nutrition Association, the USDA has canceled two programs that provided funding for schools and food banks to buy food from local farms and ranchers.
The Bristol Township School District, like many districts nationwide, relies on federal funding to supplement its food service programs and provide nutritious meals to students.
The cancellations impact funds schools were expecting to use and will create potential budget challenges.
The Bucks County Foodshed Alliance reported that some Bucks County farmers are being impacted by the frozen USDA grant programs, creating uncertainty for local producers.
Bucks County Commissioner Chairperson Bob Harvie, a Democrat, said Wednesday that the cuts will have an $800,000 impact on nonprofits that assist those dealing with food insecurity in the county.
The School Nutrition Association has criticized the sudden cuts, saying they will hurt millions of students, local schools, and food producers.
The decision comes as President Donald Trump’s administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have prioritized spending reductions in Washington D.C. The cuts come as the country’s national debt has surpassed $36.2 trillion. DOGE, led by billionaire government contractor Elon Musk, is not a federal department but an office within the Executive Office of the President.
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