By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
A second Waterford area school district will officially leave the federal food service program, citing regulations that are deemed to be overreaching.
The Waterford Union High School board voted unanimously March 19 in favor of leaving the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s food service program.
The decision means the district’s food service provider, Taher, will have greater flexibility in the types of foods offered. But it also means a ready source of funds to provide meals for students eligible for free and reduced lunches will evaporate in the fall.
WUHS joins the Waterford Graded School District in leaving the USDA and its growing list of guidelines for what can and cannot be served.
In the case of WUHS, Superintendent Keith Brandstetter said he is not concerned about financial implications for the 2014-15 school year.
“Taher has told us they will make it work,” Brandstetter said of the financial feasibility in ensuring eligible students continue to receive the free and reduced lunches without the district going into the red.
Food service programs are designed to be self-sustaining, meaning taxpayer dollars from the general operating budget are typically not used to fund lunches. Meal tickets and other measures are traditionally used to infuse cash into the operations.
In the case of WUHS, Brandstetter said the district has a long history of being independent from the USDA. Three years ago, when the economy remained in free fall, the board at the time voted to join USDA.
In the years since, however, USDA officials have ratcheted up the requirements, touting a desire to stem the national obesity epidemic.
As a result, allowable calorie counts have dwindled, and greater restrictions are being implemented.
Starting with the 2014-15 school year, for example, all participating districts will need to serve foods that contain 100 percent whole grains – a fact criticized by WUHS and Taher officials.
At last month’s WUHS board meeting, Taher representatives gave a show-and-tell presentation, and held up various foods. In the process, they demonstrated how size portions continue to shrink as the company strains to remain in compliance with USDA’s guidelines on calorie counts, whole-grain percentages and servings of produce.
But the end result, according to Jim Madden, regional vice president of operations with Taher, is an increase in food waste and a reduction in student participation in hot lunches.
“(The students) have adapted to some of the changes,” Madden said last month. “But the reality is there has been a lot of waste.”
Statistically, Brandstetter said WUHS has experienced a decline in the number of students eligible for free and reduced lunches.
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I would like to know how the schools will make up the E Rate monies they receive for technology, which is based on the info from the federally regulated programs. How much E Rate money does the High school and the grade school district receive in a typical year ? Did they take that into consideration as well as the free and reduce hot lunches ?
Hmmmm—whatever happened to the bag lunch my Mom packed ????
I didn’t starve. We better stop relying on the government and move on.
Al
Unfortunately, not all children have mom’s like you had. That is a sad reality. The other sad reality is that having poor parents is not the fault of the children.
Dear Reason. We parents do PAY for the school lunch! We write a check twice a year for the milk, and lunch! So in addition to our property taxes, which we also pay, that covers these fees. I’d hardly say we are relying on the government. We’re paying for it. We’re just not getting what we are paying for!
I think you missed my point.
Something I think that keeps getting overlooked in situations like this is that the majority of the families that receive free or reduced lunches are already on some sort of government food program like food share or food stamps. They also have access to the local food pantries through churches and organizations like LOVE who not only has a food pantry but also a kitchen that serves free meals twice daily. So in fact as tax payers we are paying to feed these kids twice. If a child shows up at school hungry it is either because the child chooses to not eat the food his or her parents have made available, or because the parents are not providing the food they have been afforded to provide. For the former, shame on the child, life is not all french fries and chocolate milk. If it’s the latter, shame on the parents and perhaps a reminder of their responsibilities is in order from another taxpayer funded program: Child Protective Services.
Voice of Reason you had a very valid point! As did Pat Gerber, that was an excellent question.
With the way the National School Lunch Program is based no one knows who is free, reduced or paid. That is held in strict confidence. Because of that, all kids are viewed the same by their peers. Of course students can bring a bag lunch from home anytime! That is more than acceptable, however when a child from a family that is struggling financially brings a bag lunch from home, it’s contents are probably different than a students bag lunch from a family that has a better financial situation. If for one moment you don’t think kids see that and then pick on kids for that – GUESS AGAIN! To do away with the program and the free & reduced meals, will clearly identify the “haves” – those that can afford to buy hot lunch and the “have nots” – those that can’t!
I went to a “good Catholic school” that did not have uniforms and just by the clothes I wore you could tell I was not from a family with strong financial resources and I was picked on unmercifully because I was “poor”! If you don’t think that kind of thing doesn’t hurt or doesn’t stick with someone – you are sadly mistaken! In this day and age where bullying is rampant, to the point it pushes kids over the edge, why in heavens name would we give them more ammunition to pick on kids?!
I will be the first person to agree the strict rules are getting crazy for the National School Lunch Program, but for some kids it is the only opportunity to get a BALANCED & NUTRITIOUS meal! The cost of “healthy choice foods” compared to the less nutritious over processed food is way over budget for some families! Try living on minimum wage once and see how it goes!
I certainly hope the schools find a way to include the students that come from lower income families to still participate in the lunch program and that they continue to offer good quality meals.