relative to state participation in the Medicaid direct certification program for free and reduced price school meals.

HB 583 requires New Hampshire's Department of Education to seek participation in a federal Medicaid direct certification program for school meal eligibility. This would allow schools to automatically identify students eligible for free or reduced-price meals using existing Medicaid data, rather than requiring separate applications. The bill changes how school funding is calculated by applying 2024-2025 eligibility data to determine differential aid and extraordinary need grants for the 2026-2027 school year. It directly affects public K-12 schools and students qualifying for meal assistance, with the new funding method taking effect for the 2026-2027 school year. The current eligibility calculation method is repealed as part of this change.