California in danger of running out of money for school meals
State superintendent is asking for $31 million so local districts won't have to bear additional burden as economy forces more students to participate in free or reduced-price lunch programs.
California may run out of money again this year to supplement school meals, in part because more struggling families are taking part in the free or reduced-price school lunch programs, the state's superintendent of public instruction said Tuesday.
"Without quick action by the governor and the Legislature, districts will be forced to make a series of unacceptable choices to dip further into their own bare-bones budgets, serve less nutritious foods and not comply with California's nationally renowned nutrition standards, or reduce cafeteria staffing," Supt. Jack O'Connell said in a statement.
The federal government provides $2.17 to $2.57 for each free or reduced-price meal, and California provides an additional 22 cents. Last school year, the state money ran out in May, and it is likely to run out earlier this school year, O'Connell said. He is requesting $31.1 million from the general fund to prevent that, he said.
O'Connell said he did not know how many new students have applied for or received free or reduced-price breakfast or lunch this school year. But he said California schools served 4.5% more meals overall in 2007-08 than they did the previous year and he expected that those numbers have continued to rise this year. He and other school officials have said the nation's troubled economy is likely to increase the need for subsidized meals.
But in the Los Angeles Unified School District, for August, September and October of this year compared with the same period last year, the district saw a 3% increase in free lunches served, a 1% decrease in reduced-price lunches and a 4% increase in the number of regularly priced lunches that students buy, said Dennis Barrett, director of food services. Elementary school students pay $1 for the full-priced lunches and high school students pay $1.50.
L.A. Unified has been working to increase the numbers of students -- paying and not paying -- who eat meals at school. For example, in May 2007, the district served 6.3 million free and reduced-price meals and 859,000 meals that students paid for, according to the food services department. In May 2006, the figures were 6.2 million and 803,000.
If L.A. Unified lost the state supplement, Barrett said, he would look to save money by improving efficiency or reducing menu choices. The loss of free and reduced-price meals, he said, would be devastating.
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