41% of state students eligible for meal subsidies (2 of 5 Wisconsin School Children Now Qualify)

[kpete]

Source: Journal Sentinal

http://media.journalinteractive.com/documents/DPImealsreport.pdf

41% of state students eligible for meal subsidies
MPS is second-highest school district, at 82%

By Amy Hetzner of the Journal Sentinel

March 11, 2011 |(58) Comments
Click to enlarge

About two of every five Wisconsin school children now qualify for federally subsidized meals because of low family incomes, according to data released Thursday by the state's education agency.

The proportion of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch has rapidly increased over the past seven years, climbing from 29.5% in the 2003-'04 school year to 41.4% this school year.

The rising number of children who meet the standard for subsidized meals reflects increasing economic hardships among Wisconsin families as well as a push among schools to have qualifying students registered for the lunch program, which often is used to calculate government grants.


To be eligible for free lunch, a student must come from a family with an income at or below 130% of the federal poverty rate, or $28,655 for a family of four. Reduced-price lunches are available to students whose families have incomes at or below 185% of the federal poverty rate, which amounts to $40,793 for a family of four.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/117781593.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Potentially more than 41% of students now that Walker has abolished

collective bargaining and the children of those public sector workers will suffer from the diminution of their parents' take-home pay.

[rucky]

2. They'll probably have to raise the qualifying income

after they slash the Title I budget.

Then they can brag about how well they did getting people off of free & reduced lunch.

[Sabriel]

3. The middle school near me went from 40% F&RL to 80% in 3 years

I know of many teachers who buy food for students whose parents don't want to participate in the reduced lunch program.

And staff is constantly worried about snow days, which for some students mean little food at all. The reduced breakfast and lunch is the only meal some of them get.

As one principal put it, "They put the food money toward heating, and they rely on us to feed their kids."

Money to kill people in other countries, but not much for kids and families in poverty.

[kpete]

4. and this is

America?

[AC_Mem]

6. I have witnessed this

and have fed children myself who otherwise would not have had much, if anything to eat.

For many children, the hot meals that are provided at school are the closest thing they get to a balanced diet all day. Children can't learn properly when they are hungry or jacked up on sugar!

I have more admiration than ever for Michelle Obama for taking on this issue and calling attention to it. Our children are going to grow up to be unhealthy, overweight and diabetic if we don't start paying attention to what they are (or aren't) eating.

Annette

[Greybnk48]

5. UW System Instructors make less that public school teachers

I wonder if people know that. The state lists our salaries as (about) 39,000 per year for IAS (instructional academic staff) but because of reasons unknown to almost everyone, or at least not understood, we do not get paid 100% of this. Rather, we get 80% if we teach full time (4 classes per semester), 60% of this if we have 3 classes, 40% if we teach 2 and 20% if we teach 1.

This is relevant to this topic in that with the possible Walker cuts in addition to what we've already had, most children of IAS, people with a M.A. or Ph.D., will qualify for low income school lunch and Badger Care. Sadly, I'm sure these programs will be cut.

Can you say exodus!

Edit: I want to clarify that I am not equating the children of our staff with kids that are living hand to mouth. My point's not clear. This is going to get worse in WI because many more kids will be added to these programs (especially those of single parents). I went to school with kids who brought honey on bread for lunch in high school and my heart bled for them. : (

[Bragi]

7. A win-win solution to this embarrassment

Here's a win-win solution that can saves money and help eliminates evidence showing widespread poverty: just change the qualifying standard so very few students get free meals.

[d_r]

8. we don't qualify

but man, at $2.25 a day for elementary school lunch, it adds up.

[madmax]

9. Tell me about it. Have to help my

son and dil by paying my Grandson's lunch. He's 16 and eats like a horse :) He's a growng boy.

[MichiganVote]

10. No worries, Facist Walker will simply outlaw being hungry for poor people!