Schools Struggle to Provide Lunches for Students
Government Subsidies Have Not Kept Pace with the Rising Cost of Food
It is expected to cost on average, $1.98 for school lunches this year. However, students in Davidson County , N. Carolina will pay $2.50 per lunch this year, showing an increase of 50 - 70 cents per meal over last year's lunch prices. School lunches in San Diego could cost even more, at $2.75. According to the St. Petersburg Times, Pasco County Schools will charge from $2.90 - $3.25 for adult lunches that are not subsidized by any government programs, while the reduced lunch and free lunch programs will not change.
Since some schools are turning to a 4 day week for students, which will eliminate one day of running buses and serving lunches, there is also concern that this could spell trouble for high school students who have after-school jobs, which could, in turn, reduce the money these students have for their own lunches.
Everything that is impacting our country at the present time is also having a huge impact on our schools, students, teachers and support personnel. In some school districts, school lunch rooms will no longer offer some of the higher priced menu items that have been served in the past. They will include more fruits and vegetables and will also need to lay off some of the cafeteria workers or cut their hours in order to offset the high cost of these foods.
Katie Wilson, President-elect of the School Nutrition Association, says "We're struggling to make ends meet." With the federal subsidy currently at more than 8 billion dollars, Erik Peterson, a spokesman for the School Nutrition Association, says, the cost "hasn't kept up with rising food costs, with rising labor costs, fuel costs, benefits costs, even." "All those costs are adding up."
Some of the more enterprising school districts have decided to help themselves instead of relying on more money from the federal government. They have formed food co-ops in order to provide more fresh, locally grown produce for use in the school cafeteria. These foods can be purchased at lower prices and the money spent remains within the local economy as well.
It seems that everyone is hit hard with the rise in fuel and food costs today; and it seems that no one has as yet found a way to resolve the problems. Hopefully we can all find ways to change our lifestyles in order to compensate for these rising costs, but the high cost of operating our school systems is one of the more urgent issues that needs to be addressed.
Sources:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/k-12/2008/07/24/schools-battle-rising-gas-and-food-prices.html
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article749464.ece
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25011096/
Published by Vicki Messer
In 1997 I began a personal journey of healing from years of childhood sexual abuse. For the better part of 10 years, I worked my way through the painful repressed memories of incest at the hands of several... View profile
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9 Comments
Post a Commentthe high cost of operating our school systems is one of the more urgent issues that needs to be addressed.- I agree 100% with this statement. I think this should be a priority for congress. Schools shape our future.
Given the small amount of food that is served in our local grade school, I think kids would be better off packing their own lunch anyway.
It is an international disaster, in montreal many people could not move on July lst which is moving day because of the high cost of gas, that would add an additional 120 on their there moving truck costs.
Joy,
One of the things I noticed moving to the US from Canada is a very different attitude towards school lunches. In Canada, kids are discouraged from staying at school for lunch due to lack of money for lunch room monitors. And lunch is never provided. Kids have to bring their own. I was pleased to see that lunch is considered important in the school system here and that the lunches are actually reasonably healthy (at least in our school district).
I remember when I got sent to school with $.50 - it covered a sandwich, a drink and a great big sugar cookie.
Fantastic read!!!
Good piece, Joy.
The price of school lunches keep going up. But the income guidlines to qualify for free or reduced lunch stays the same. Our lower middle class kids are the ones that suffer. I hope their moms pack something nutritious if they can't afford to buy!
Fantastic analysis Joy. I'm believing that we will come together as a nation and do what needs to be done. Set aside the political bickering and get to work fixing what is broken. If the politicians won't do it, then I guess us lowly citizens will have to!