“Nixa MO school district sees problems with Hunger Free Kids Act” |
| Nixa MO school district sees problems with Hunger Free Kids Act Posted: 16 Dec 2010 03:18 AM PST NIXA, Mo -- The Hunger-Free Kids Act is being touted as a major step forward in our nation's effort to provide all children with healthy food in schools. One local school district, though, sees some major problems with the new legislation. The biggest issue is cost. Nixa estimates it could cost the district more than a $100,000 a year. They are all about trying to get kids to eat healthy, but not ready to take on such a financial burden at a time most school districts are already tight on money. It's as common as not wanting to do homework, kids don't like eating healthy foods. "It's a general attitude because I think at home it's a general attitude," said Nixa Director of Nutrtion Services Cindy Kubowicz. One in three kids is now obese or overweight, yet sadly more kids are going hungry every day. "This is probably the healthiest meal they will get and sometimes the only meal they will get," said Kubowicz about school lunches. The government is doing something about it with the Hunger-Free Kids Act. It gives the USDA authority to set nutritional standards for all food sold in schools. The Hunger Free Kids Act wants to change menus in schools. It wants to do away with things like hot dogs and cheese pizza and replace them with chef salads and whole wheat sandwiches. Getting kids to eat those healthy options is easier said than done. "I see happy meals, fast food coming into schools every day," said Kubowicz. Another provision is adding more students to the free or reduced lunch program. "In the last few years, we have increased those numbers by the hundreds," said Nixa Director of Finance Debroah Rantz. How to pay for it all is a major concern. "The concern is that it's another unfunded mandate," said Rantz. The program will cost $4.5 billion over the next ten years. Schools will have to pick up some of the extra costs. "Here's what we need you to do, but we're not going to give you additional funding," said Rantz. The Nixa school district would get a 6 cent reimbursement for each student in the program, but would have to make up another 25 cents. That adds up to more than $100,000 a year. "The one thing about that 6 cent reimbursement, that will not begin for three years," said Rantz. It's the biggest overhaul of school nutrition in 30 years, but has school districts wondering at what cost? Nixa is already tackling the issue of healthy eating in schools. They've been gradually introducing healthy foods into the school. They've been mixing whole grain pasta with the enriched pasta and serving whole wheat pizza. They have even created a monthly Fear Factor challenge. It challenges students to eat a new fruit or vegetable each month. Many of the programs featured in the Act do not have a specific expiration date, but Congress is periodically required to review and reauthorize funding. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Content Keyword RSS To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment