Attention Parents of Graduated Students -- How to get your lunch money back.

max_weisenfeld

Jul 1, 2015 at 1:27pm

If you have a balance in your students' lunch account and will not be needing it next year -- graduation, moving, or going to private school, for example -- here is how you get a refund:

1) Call the district food service dept directly at 973-762-5600 ext 1000. They will help you out with steps for the reimbursement. There's a bit of a delay because we need board approval for any disbursements, and so payments are won't be released until after the July board meeting, but we can get it in process.

2) You will then get a payment voucher that you will need to sign and return.

3) If there turn out to be any more steps, I will add them as they become revealed to me.

sac

Jul 1, 2015 at 1:50pm

Oh my ... the BOE has to approve refunding lunch money? That's really a waste of their time!

susan1014

Jul 1, 2015 at 2:03pm

If you have younger children you can transfer funds to another child without the BOE/voucher step.

Of course, none of this happens unless you keep track and actively ask.

SuzanneNg

Jul 1, 2015 at 3:01pm

sac said:
Oh my ... the BOE has to approve refunding lunch money? That's really a waste of their time!

But for the BOE to disburse money without approval usually gets flagged by the state auditors, iirc.

sac

Jul 1, 2015 at 3:27pm

SuzanneNg said:

sac said:
Oh my ... the BOE has to approve refunding lunch money? That's really a waste of their time!
But for the BOE to disburse money without approval usually gets flagged by the state auditors, iirc.

Is there a monetary threshold for this? I mean, it's just stupid for a small amount of money and auditors know that as well as anyone.

ParticleMan

Jul 2, 2015 at 6:57am

Individually it might be a small amount of money, but it could add up quickly

eliz

Jul 2, 2015 at 7:03am

They should have an option to donate the balance to a local HSA.

deborahg

Jul 2, 2015 at 10:37am

I was thinking can we donate to kids who need lunches

emmie

Jul 2, 2015 at 11:46am

deborahg said:
I was thinking can we donate to kids who need lunches

^^^ This.

sac

Jul 2, 2015 at 11:53am

deborahg said:
I was thinking can we donate to kids who need lunches

Excellent idea.

sac

Jul 2, 2015 at 11:55am

ParticleMan said:
Individually it might be a small amount of money, but it could add up quickly

If an individual's amount is small, then it is silly (and not generally required by auditors) to have to go through an approval process like that. It's not as if we are only going on the individual's word ... the balance is documented in the system. I, for one, am not happy if my tax money is being wasted on unnecessary financial minutia such as this. Of course, the BOE folks are not salaried, but the clerical people who have to prepare the info for them to approve it are.

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