Free Lunch For All Low Income Students: Petition to Pass S.26 & H.60
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About the Bill
Senator Sally Fox has introduced S.26 in the Vermont Senate, and Representative Johannah Donovan has introduced H.60 in the Vermont House. These bills would expand access to free school lunch to all low-income Vermont children.
This means that those students who qualify for reduced price school meals would receive school lunch without any charge to their families. Instead, the state of Vermont would cover the 40 cents per lunch these families are currently required to pay.
In 2008, the Vermont legislature passed a similar bill for school breakfast. Now in Vermont, all low income students receive school breakfast at no cost to their families. As a result, the number of reduced price eligible children eating school breakfast increased 85%.
Schools have reported that increased participation in breakfast has led to improved behavior and focus, fewer absences and tardies, fewer trips to the school nurse, and better academic performance.
We all know that eating a nutritious breakfast and lunch is critical for children's health and learning, yet data from the Department of Education shows that reduced price eligible children participate in school lunch less frequently than free eligible children.
As the cost of living and the number of hungry families in Vermont continue to rise, many low income families simply cannot afford the $9.00 per month per child to cover the reduced price cost of school meals.
In addition, Vermont schools are having difficulty providing nutritious meals given low federal reimbursements. This law would support Vermont schools by increasing lunch participation, and by making more funds available for schools to improve the quality of school meals.
S.26 and H.60 would also support Vermont farms by providing schools with more funds to use toward purchasing local food and investing in farm to school programs.
This bill would cost the state of Vermont about $322,000 a year, but would bring in about $388,000 a year in additional federal funds for Vermont's school meal programs. A more than 120% return on investment.
Join with Hunger Free Vermont, the School Nutrition Association of Vermont, the Vermont Farm to School Network, the Vermont School Boards Association, the Vermont NEA, and Governor Shumlin in support of this important bill.
Click NEXT below to sign a petition requesting that the Vermont legislature pass S.26 and H.60 during the 2013 legislative session.
This means that those students who qualify for reduced price school meals would receive school lunch without any charge to their families. Instead, the state of Vermont would cover the 40 cents per lunch these families are currently required to pay.
In 2008, the Vermont legislature passed a similar bill for school breakfast. Now in Vermont, all low income students receive school breakfast at no cost to their families. As a result, the number of reduced price eligible children eating school breakfast increased 85%.
Schools have reported that increased participation in breakfast has led to improved behavior and focus, fewer absences and tardies, fewer trips to the school nurse, and better academic performance.
We all know that eating a nutritious breakfast and lunch is critical for children's health and learning, yet data from the Department of Education shows that reduced price eligible children participate in school lunch less frequently than free eligible children.
As the cost of living and the number of hungry families in Vermont continue to rise, many low income families simply cannot afford the $9.00 per month per child to cover the reduced price cost of school meals.
In addition, Vermont schools are having difficulty providing nutritious meals given low federal reimbursements. This law would support Vermont schools by increasing lunch participation, and by making more funds available for schools to improve the quality of school meals.
S.26 and H.60 would also support Vermont farms by providing schools with more funds to use toward purchasing local food and investing in farm to school programs.
This bill would cost the state of Vermont about $322,000 a year, but would bring in about $388,000 a year in additional federal funds for Vermont's school meal programs. A more than 120% return on investment.
Join with Hunger Free Vermont, the School Nutrition Association of Vermont, the Vermont Farm to School Network, the Vermont School Boards Association, the Vermont NEA, and Governor Shumlin in support of this important bill.
Click NEXT below to sign a petition requesting that the Vermont legislature pass S.26 and H.60 during the 2013 legislative session.