A Senate panel led by an East Valley lawmaker agreed Tuesday to let schools opt out of the federal program to offer free and reduced-price lunches for needy students.
Sen. Rich Crandall, R-Mesa, said the state should not be imposing these mandates on public schools. He said the decision whether to participate in the National School Lunch Program - and deal with the various restrictions - is best left to local school officials.
Crandall said some districts, particularly those with only a small percentage of eligible children, may decide to continue to offer the free or discounted meals, but on their own terms, and with local taxpayers picking up the tab. But he said that, in some cases, schools may scrap the program entirely, meaning that children who want the service will have to transfer to other schools that still offer it.
The move drew fire from Jennifer Loredo, lobbyist for the Arizona Education Association.
"For a lot of students that we have out here in the state, the school lunch program that they are provided is the only quality meal that they get," she told members of the Senate Education Committee.
But the panel voted to approve SB 1060 on a 6-1 vote, with only Sen. David Schapira, D-Tempe, opposed. The measure now goes to the full Senate.
Crandall said his concern is that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, is crafting new regulations that "could be burdensome."
For example, he said that the USDA has been scrutinizing some school districts where what they are charging regular students for lunch is less than the government is providing in subsidies. Crandall said that has led to questions of whether the USDA is effectively subsidizing lunches for students who can afford to buy their own food.
"So who gets hurt the worst under this mandate is the middle income; people who don't qualify for free and reduced-price lunch are just above it," he said.
Crandall also said there are new requirements for fresh fruit at breakfasts that are offered under the program.
Ginny Hildebrand, chief executive of the Arizona Association of Food Banks, said Crandall's assurances that most school districts will remain in the program provides little comfort.
"We know hungry kids have trouble learning," she told lawmakers. "We know teachers that have hungry kids in their class have trouble meeting their teaching objectives."
Loredo suggested that if lawmakers want to let schools opt out of the USDA program they should at least replace it with some requirement for schools to offer similar programs without the federal rules. Crandall, who chairs the committee, said he will not do that.
"I'm not going to take away one mandate and replace it with another," he said.
Crandall said that was the lesson lawmakers learned in allowing the creation of charter schools. These schools, most privately operated, are public schools and get state aid. But they are exempt from most of the regulations the state imposes on traditional public schools.
In this case, he noted, the charter schools which educate about 135,000 youngsters in Arizona are exempt from the law on school lunches, though some do participate.
"We're trying to take the same flexibility they have with regards to the National School Lunch Program and apply it to districts," Crandall said.
And he said he's not worried about what will happen to the affected children.
"That's where I have complete confidence the local school board's going to take care of that," Crandall said. He said many will decide they are willing to provide free lunches, "but on our own terms."
Crandall did agree to amend his legislation when it reaches the Senate floor to require any district proposing to opt out to first notify the parents.
k33j88 posted at 6:40 am on Sun, Jan 22, 2012.
Again I repeat----the 3 r's (reading,riting,rithmitic)(please get past the spelling) being replaced by the 3 s's. Socialism, sexuality, self-esteem. The responsibility of parenting belongs to the "State", not in the home. Barry Soreto gets his support(45-47%) from tax users, not tax payers.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 4:51 pm on Thu, Jan 19, 2012.
Now I know that I did make a "comment" because numerous other commenters have commented about it........but for the life of me............I CAN'T FIND HIDE NOR HAIR OF IT..............LOL.
I must be getting blind besides being senile...oh well, I must have pulled somebody's chain....so much for the 1st Amendment's "freedom of speech" and all that....[wink]
Rational Human posted at 7:52 pm on Wed, Jan 18, 2012.
Ya right davidlucifer. Before free lunches children starved. lol Let the churches feed them or better yet let their parents support them or DON"T HAVE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!!
You ever wonder why people least able to feed their own children have the most children? You ever wonder why you have to pass a test to legally drive a vehicle but any moron can have all the children they want at taxpayers expense? You ever wonder why they all grow up to become liberals? Liberals who advocate for free lunches because they will benefit directly. There is a direct correlation between poverty, low IQ, and liberalism.
Ya splashy maybe we need to group these needy children in one school so we can better serve their special needs. People like you will then know where to take your spare food to feed them. Oh. You want me to feed them? I work hard to keep my family fed. I'm supposed to take food out of my children's mouths to feed other people's children that can't even control their breeding? I don't think so.
davidflucier posted at 6:10 pm on Wed, Jan 18, 2012.
Two observations: 1) protect the unborn while in the womb, and they are on their own once they have passed the birth canal (love the fetus; hate the baby); 2) obviously more resources in time and effort from our friends in the Legislature to create jobs and develop a robust economy...NOT! This would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.
Smaller government by slowly starving children...what a great way to legalize child abuse.
splashy posted at 3:54 pm on Wed, Jan 18, 2012.
What a sneaky way to promote discrimination against the poor. Sure, they can go to another school.
"children who want the service will have to transfer to other schools that still offer it."
There is no "want" to it, it's a NEED.
bobunf posted at 10:28 am on Wed, Jan 18, 2012.
The Republicans sure seem to be intent on the the Marie-Antoinette policy, "Let them eat cake."
For those of you who've forgotten, that didn't turn out too well with the earthquake of the French Revolution and the guillotining of Marie and her husband in 1793.
Assuredly Mitt knows about this.
terafied posted at 7:57 am on Wed, Jan 18, 2012.
Mr. Ceniceros,
I see you are a member of the nation's biggest welfare club: the military. How can you with a straight face pretend that you haven't soaked the taxpayers for free room and board, on top of salary and fantastic lifelong benefits?
Your arrogant, self-aggrandizing, smarmy insults at honest people trying to sustain a family in dire economic times is repulsive. Likely you have a military pension, or at least are comfortable. Do you think I'm happy you spent a career playing war games, real or imagined, at public expense?
Disgusting. I hope some day you know what it's like to be in these children's shoes, let alone their parents. You should be ashamed.
TruthSeeker posted at 9:37 pm on Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
Starve your children? Why do you continue to birth children if you can't feed them and expect someone else, like me, to pick up the tab? Practice birth control!
peeps1 posted at 8:52 pm on Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
Leon Ceniceros - I am so tired of the overused verbiage that people like you love to use with little knowledge or awareness. Here is a little lesson for you
- WIC and food stamps are not the same.
- You cannot buy "stacks of frozen meals and pizzas, Coco-Puffs, Frito's, potato chips, hot dogs and baloney" with WIC checks. You get baby formula, baby food, fruits and vegetables, tuna, peanut butter, milk, bread, cheese and, if I remember correctly, eggs.
- I am a woman who has been on food stamps and WIC and I do not have "elaborate braids, corn-rows, brightly painted long fingernails with mulitiple tattooes" (your error in spelling, not mine). Actually, I don't even have one tattoo.
- I do not buy "24-30 box of Coors and 2-3 cartons of Malboro's at $65 a pop" or any other kind of alcohol/cigarettes or drugs for that matter.
- I know too many teachers who pack lunches for the children in their class if they are going to be away from the school for lunch because they know that if they don't the child will not get fed. You can say it should not be that way until you are blue in the face but that does not change reality. Bad parenting or poor people or both can equal hungry children.
I was a mother who could not work due to bedrest for her pregnancy, then I while I grieved the death of one of my twin baby boys the other was in the intensive care unit for two months. Once out of intensive care my surviving child required up to 4 doctors visits a week for 6 months after his release from the hospital. I lived off of my part time income, minimal child support and WIC and food stamps during this time.
I am SO disgusted by people like you throwing everyone in the same pot and labeling them so you can dehumanize them. Yes, there are those who take advantage of any system out there, that includes systems you depend on. Grow some intelligence and creativity. Because one of these days the labeling you love to use is going to stop working - then who will you hate on and where will you be?
Leewah posted at 7:07 pm on Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
The bill is actually SB1061, not SB1060. The vote tally is here: http://www.azleg.gov//FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/50leg/2r/bills/sb1061.sed.1.asp&Session_ID=107
The votes were:
Linda Gray (R) Y
Lori Klein (R) Y
Jerry Lewis (R) Y
Linda Lopez (D) NV
David Schapira (D) N
Steve Smith (R) Y
Nancy Barto (R) Y
Rich Crandall (R) Y
The bill's general information page is here: http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=SB1061&Session_ID=107
Senators' contact information is here: http://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp?Body=S
chuckles3 posted at 5:09 pm on Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
So do we have a hunger problem or an obesity problem in this country? I can't keep it straight. I would love to see a study on what percentage of kids getting free lunch/breakfast/dinner are classified as obese, but I won't hold my breath. And please don't tell me its the only 'healthy' food they get. Its not my job or anybody else to make sure someones else's kids are eating healthy. It's their PARENT's responsibility. I know, crazy concept.
LinMesa posted at 4:32 pm on Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
And you, Mr. Leon Ceniceros, are one of the Republicans I am referring to.
LinMesa posted at 4:28 pm on Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
I have a better idea. How about rounding up everyone who voted for this and lock them up for a week and feed them bread and water. Let them find out what hunger is like. We have children going to bed every night hungry and these heartless disgusting legislators want to make it worse. For a lot of poor children the only food they get is at school. You better get down on your knees and pray that God will forgive you for even thinking this, that is, if you even know God. I'm beginning to think most of you Republican legislators are absolutely Godless. You certainly act like it.
concernedcitizen posted at 4:20 pm on Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
Mr. Crandall, so what you are telling me is if a school decides to stop this program and not replace it with something else, than a child who is in legitimate need would need to "attend another school" in order to get free lunches? Where did you pull that idea out of? Don't you realize that most people who are in these types of situations have jobs they are working most of the day just to barely make ends meet, and trying to get their kid to another school would be impossible?
In the end it will hurt children, which I am not okay with. I ask that you carefully reconsider the implications.
jarizona posted at 4:02 pm on Tue, Jan 17, 2012.
Sounds like 5 members of the Senate panel need to be voted out of office for being totally out of touch with people in their Arizona districts. Does anyone know how to find out the names of all the members that voted to starve our school children?