Fewer Evanston students might get free and reduced lunches now after a year of evaluation by the Food and Nutrition Service showed too many were receiving benefits.

Thirty-one percent of pupils in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and 26 percent of students at Evanston Township High School currently receive free or reduced-price lunches.

But according to a recent study conducted after questions were raised by the 2000 Census data, these numbers might be too high.

“The evidence suggests that there are problems with the school meals certification process,” said Lawrence Rudman, a spokesman for the Food and Nutrition Service in Chicago.

To test the effectiveness of the application process, the Food and Nutrition Service started 15 pilot programs around the country. Each one tested a different aspect of the lunch programs such as new applications, verifying information and following up with families.

At eight test sites — one of which was at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Ill. — parents were required to provide additional income verification such as pay stubs. Parents currently do not have to provide proof of income.

The National School Lunch Program currently reimburses states and schools 40 cents for a reduced meal and $2.20 for a free meal.

There are two ways to get lunch benefits. If a family receives food stamps or already is using them, eligibility for free or reduced lunches is automatic. Families who do not get food stamps can submit an application, which asks them to provide the size of the household and the income. The district then will review the application and either approve or deny the request.

In Oak Park the results showed that the number of students eligible for free or reduced meals dropped almost 50 percent with this verification process. The percentage of students at all the test sites who were certified for subsidized meals dropped 27 percent using just the new application process.

But the blame for the excess number of students receiving free and reduced lunches cannot be put solely on families, said Toni Fischer, director of food services at ETHS.

“Behind the scenes some people might have been sloppy in the original verification process,” Fischer said. “It’s not that families are doing anything fraudulent, but it’s laziness in the determination process.”

Fischer added that the new application process possibly could scare away potential applicants because of the extra paperwork.

In an effort to reduce paperwork, the Food and Nutrition Service recommended that students automatically be eligible for free or reduced meals for a year rather than verifying families’ incomes more often.

“A lot of people forget to watch their income and remember to contact the school if they make more than before,” Fischer said.

In District 65 — where nearly a third of the students receive free or reduced meals — social worker Pam Butterfield said she feels there are students who currently aren’t receiving the full benefits of the federal lunch program.

“Improper certifications create the risk that nutrition assistance benefits intended for poor children go to those who are not eligible,” said Eric Bost, under secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, when he testified before the Senate last month.

But some think the system is fine as is.

“I know there there might be some abuse,” Fischer said. “But the opposite end of that is that a lot of kids are getting well served and that supports their educational development.”