— Several area school officials say a late start of their school year could mean more state and federal funding.

Twelve area public schools, including Hilldale and Wagoner, start their school years this week. Seven will start Thursday, the same day as Indian Capital Technology Center starts.

However, other schools, including Muskogee and Fort Gibson, will start later this month. Officials say the late start enables them to count more children in free and reduced-price lunch programs when they seek state funding or apply for grants. State and federal agencies often use October enrollment figures to determine funding and grants.

“If school starts within 30 (school) days before October, we can count every kid on free and reduced lunch from the previous year,” said John Little, the chief financial officer at MPS, which will start classes Aug. 22. “For example, if we had 100 students on free and reduced lunch last year, we get to count all 100 of those students plus any new ones.”

Little said 85 percent to 88 percent of MPS students qualify for a reduced-price  lunch.

He said that when MPS started classes on Aug. 11 in 2011, “It cost us $200,000.”

Thirty school days before Oct. 1 would be Aug. 20.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child Nutrition Manual for schools says districts must carry over a child’s lunch eligibility status from the previous year to the current year.

Eligibility status from the prior year is only valid for the first 30 school days of the new year, the manual states. Once a new application is approved, the carryover application is no longer valid.

“If a student has not completed a new application for the new year, and the 30th operating day falls on Oct. 1, a school does get to use a student’s application from a previous year as eligibility for this year’s student funding,” said Joanie Hildenbrand, the executive director for child nutrition programs in the state Department of Education.

“If school districts are diligent in obtaining free/reduced applications from all households as soon as possible at the beginning of the year, the 30-day carryover rule will not apply,” she said.

“Once a new application is obtained, the district must use the information on the new application and disregard the application from the previous year. Therefore, starting school later only helps those districts that are not diligent and have some students, after 30 days of operation, that still have not completed new applications for the school year.”

Fort Gibson Superintendent Derald Glover said a late start also reduces utility costs. Fort Gibson starts Aug. 17.

“In August, we’d spend $1,000 more in air conditioning,” he said.

Classes at Hilldale and Wagoner start Thursday. Hilldale Superintendent Kaylin Coody, who took the job after the 2013 school year was set, said the district might look into a later start next year.

“Most schools want to end their first semesters before the Christmas break,” Coody said.

Having enough time before state testing also could be a factor in scheduling.

“Losing instructional days hurts,” Glover said. “Teachers squeeze as many days as they can before the testing begins.”

Wagoner Superintendent Monte Thompson said Wagoner schools will start Thursday, partly to coincide with the start of ICTC classes.

ICTC Muskogee Campus Director Roger King said the career-tech center runs buses to participating schools, even before their school year starts. “We try to accommodate them the best we can,” he said.

Thompson noted that an early start of the school year means the school year will end earlier, which might enable students to find summer jobs.

 Reach Cathy Spaulding at (918) 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com.