Any parent can confirm that sending a child off to school, even a tax-supported public school, can get expensive.

First, there are all the things that must be bought at the start of every school year: shoes, clothes and supplies like paper, pencils and scissors.

Once the school year gets underway, there is the cost of breakfasts and lunches. And at some point in the year, the supply of pencils, paper and other necessities will have to be replenished.

For families with multiple children in school, all of this can add up to big expenses quickly.

That is why something the Fort Dodge Community School District is doing is remarkable.

The district has made it a budget priority to reduce those costs for families.

This academic year, all students – regardless of their family’s economic status – will receive free breakfasts and lunches at school.

That will have a big impact on the families of the district’s roughly 3,500 students.

The breakfast and lunch arrangement isn’t the only thing the district is doing to ease the financial burdens.

It is also providing some school supplies to elementary school students. Those students will get pencils, markers, glue, scissors and crayons. Their families will still have to provide backpacks, notebooks and folders.

We commend the district’s Board of Education and administration for prioritizing the needs of families in the annual budget.

The work of Brandon Hansel, the district’s executive director of financial services, was key to making this happen. The district’s budget is a collection of different accounts, each with their own purposes and restrictions. It is not like a household budget, in which families are usually free to move money between their checking and savings accounts as needed. Over the years, Hansel has juggled all those different accounts. One result of his labors is the ability to do things like offer free meals and school supplies.

We thank the district’s leadership for going the extra mile to help families.