Dan Glickman: Reconsider school-meals program

While there have been many changes in education since I served on the Wichita school board, one thing never changes: Hungry children cannot learn.

My years representing Kansas’ 4th Congressional District, as secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and now working with anti-hunger and healthy eating groups have underscored that.

More than one-fifth of Kansas children live in families that struggle to afford enough nutritious food. Improved access to federally funded school lunches and breakfasts is an effective response to ensure that every child can succeed in school, at little or no cost to Kansas taxpayers. And a new program, known as community eligibility, now allows Kansas schools with high concentrations of children in need to offer breakfast and lunch to all children at no charge.

Community eligibility removes many barriers to participation, including red tape and other administrative and financial obstacles. And it is a proven success, having operated in 4,000 schools in 11 pilot states last year.

Community eligibility is a win-win-win for families, students and schools. It allows schools to focus more on learning by reducing the administrative efforts associated with collecting school meal applications. Economies of scale make school nutrition more efficient.

Parents know their kids are eating well and are relieved of a financial burden. And students with reliable access to better nutrition perform better academically.

As the Aug. 31 deadline approaches for districts and schools to opt in for 2014-15, I urge the Wichita school district to reconsider its decision not to participate (Aug. 1 Eagle), and urge all low-income Kansas school districts and schools to take advantage of this excellent opportunity.

This story was originally published August 7, 2014 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Dan Glickman: Reconsider school-meals program."