Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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Tuesday, March 9, 2010
By ELIZA WINSTON - Bulletin Staff Writer
Students accustomed to seeing foods such as strawberry pancakes or corn-dog nuggets, Pop Tarts and string cheese or other items on their breakfast trays may find slimmer pickings if a state program is cut.
But, local school officials say, nutritious breakfasts still will be offered, and in Henry County, the free breakfast program may be expanded to all middle school students.
To help resolve the state’s $4.2 billion budget shortfall, Gov. Bob McDonnell has proposed eliminating a state incentive program for school breakfasts. That would save the state $5.3 million, he has said.
This year, the county schools received $60,000 and Martinsville schools received $13,000 from the state incentive program, said Marcia Lexa, the county schools’ director of nutrition, and Sheilah Williams, director of school nutrition for Martinsville Schools.
Federal funds cover some costs of providing breakfasts, and a higher percentage for students who qualify for free- and reduced-price meals. The state incentive money allows schools to expand their breakfast programs and promote student participation.
Currently, all county elementary school students receive free breakfasts in their classrooms daily in what is called a universal free program. The program has been so successful that the school system plans to expand it to middle school students next year, Lexa said.
“We can probably break even without the incentive program, but we will have to pare it down to the most essential things and look at every control point we possibly can” and still expand the program to middle schoolers, Lexa said.
Henry County school breakfasts cost $1 for middle and high school students this year. Students have breakfast choices such as a Pop Tart and string cheese, corn-dog nuggets, breakfast pizza and 100 percent juice and lowfat milk.
Although a bread, protein, juice and milk still would be offered if the incentive money was eliminated, Lexa said there might be less variety in the menu to save money.
Providing the meal to all elementary school students at their desks eliminates the stigma that only poor children eat breakfast at school, she said, adding that no one pays attention to who is eating because it is something everyone is doing, she said.
Also, she said, children can focus better on learning if they are not hungry.
Williams said Patrick Henry Elementary serves breakfast in the classroom for kindergarten students, but it is not a universal free program like the county’s.
Williams said the schools used the incentive money to promote breakfast. For example, the staff may put a sticker on one meal tray and the student who gets that tray will receive a prize.
The city schools now offer items such as a sausage biscuit, pancakes, corn-dog nuggets or an egg and cheese breakfast pocket for the breakfasts that cost $1 for elementary students and $1.25 for middle and high school students.
But those options could be reduced if the state program is eliminated, Williams said, adding that the system would look closely at all its food service costs to see where reductions could be made.
The incentive program began under former governor Tim Kaine. Schools counted all the students served breakfast in one school year and reported that number to the state. In following years, the state gave 20 cents to schools for each additional student served breakfast above the number from the base year, Lexa said. |
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