The state will be providing free breakfast for all public school students. I’ve been thinking about this, and I’ve changed my mind.
There is lots of evidence supporting the idea that kids, especially in the elementary grades, need to be well fed and nourished to thrive in school. I’ll not rehash this point.
However, I initially wondered why taxpayers, like you and I, should feed the kids of those whose incomes are adequate to cover the cost of their children’s meals at school. Then, I remembered the times when I was in grade school, many years ago, when my own parents sent me off to school without lunch money. I don’t know if they simply forgot or just did not have the money at that moment, but I do remember the shame and embarrassment I felt when I could not pay and either went without or was made to wait until those who could pay were served. I and the other “charity cases” were served last and sent home with notes requesting payment. No child should be made to feel this way or be seen as “different” from their schoolmates.
I then wondered how means testing for free meals would work. What data would be collected and how? Would parents be required to provide copies of tax returns? Pay stubs? What about those parents unable or unwilling to provide the needed documentation? Who would review and assess the data? Do school administrators need more paperwork? I don’t think so.
I do not know the price of the individual meals, but the press reports that the program cost will be approximately $45 million a year. The state has a current annual budget of $6.58 billion; of this, $2.5 billion is for public schools. Local taxes and federal dollars add to the pot, and we are spending approximately $21,000 per student. The price of meals is almost incidental when considering the overall cost of public education. Even with an educational system whose overall effectiveness is open to question, the least we can do is feed all the children, both breakfast and lunch!
John P. McCarthy
Frederica
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
