Written by
Capitol Television News Service (CTNS)
SACRAMENTO, CA - Some school districts use government funding for poor children to drive down the cost of all school lunches. But the government is cracking down, leaving some school little choice but to jack up the prices of student lunches.
Consequently, some kids are doing without lunch because their parents can't afford the higher cost.
The cost of a school lunch has gone up about 90 cents in the last 20 years and in some school districts, the prices is up almost that much in just the past year. Today, elementary school children, on average, pay $1.93 for lunch; high school students: $2.20.
At the state capitol, lawmakers are well aware of the problem. They're reexaming programs like school lunches and after-school care because by allowing school districts to decide how they want to spend their money, programs like those often get cut or eliminated.
"Many times they are not poor kids. They're from families that are working who just can't afford to make ends meet. And sometimes it's a two-week period, sometimes you hear parents say between paychecks when they can go out and buy groceries. That school meal is the only meal a kid has," said Assem. Steven Bradford, D-Inglewood.
"If the governor and overall administration realized the impacts that trickled down that you don't see on the surface initially, but you find out the unintended consequences, it makes us all re-evaluate what we're trying to do," Bradford added.
CTNS