Advocacy Project: School Lunch Subsidies and Nutrition

Eye-Opener: School Lunch

Purpose: To gain a better undestanding of  political aspects of school lunch.

Background: The 2009 MN legestlator was debating bills that would increase the reimbursements to schools' lunches for low income students.

ANSWER: 
1. What was your school lunch like growing up?
2. Would you consider it as healthy?
3. Do you remember how it was paid for/ by whom?

Read
The following Legistlative Issue Paper written by the Minnesota School Nutrition Association. It summarizes the 2009 issues related to school lunches in Minnesota. This group clearly shows the gap between producing a school lunch and the revenue recieved, a problem that is causing many low-in-come students to not have access to as healthy school lunches.

Nutrition guidlines are mandated by both federal and state government, school lunches are a hot political topic. In an attempt to take some of the politics out of the issue, a group called The Healthy Schools Campaign, which is a independent non-profit organization, is here to help students, parents, and school leaders work to create change at the distric, state, and national level.
The following article in the Chicago Healthy Schools Campaign news letter explains ways to get children to eat healthier lunches, and stresses the importance of increasing funding for school lunch programs. Please read the news letter.

Watch
The following video explains the politics behind school lunch.
The Food Lobby Goes to School

Answer these questions as you watch the video: 
4. What are some obsticles that got in the way of providing American school children with healthy lunches. 

5. What health problems affect American children? Did this surprise you?

6. Consider what you have read and the video you have watched: What do you think is the #1 thing that you think can be done to improve school lunch?

Advocacy Project: Letter to Public Official

Maggie Flolid


18 Artavia

Duluth, MN 55811

Dec. 5, 2009



Rep. Joe Hoppe

317 State Office Building

100 Rev. Martin Luther King Blvd.

St. Paul, MN 55155





Dear Representative Hoppe,

It is crucial to the well being of Minnesota children that you support HF 0784 to increase state reimbursement for school lunch. State funding has not kept pace with dramatic increases in food costs, a situation that is detrimental to the health and education of our state’s children. School nutrition is especially vital for low-income children who may not have access to fresh, healthy food at home.

The Minnesota School Nutrition Association supports an increase in school lunch aid, citing increased food costs and research that shows healthy food is crucial to student growth and achievement. The association says that there is currently a 37 cent gap between the cost of producing school lunch and revenues received.
As a Health Education major at the University of Minnesota Duluth, I have studied the link between adequate nutrition and the ability to learn. Researchers have clearly documented that getting adequate nutrition is essential to full intellectual development. Moreover, under nutrition impacts children’s behavior, school achievement and cognitive development.

A study by the USDA concluded that school lunch programs have had to offer fewer whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables as costs for these wholesome foods increases. Clearly, the long-term effects of not adequately funding school lunch are immense.

Please give your support to this important bill. Minnesota’s school districts – and more importantly, children – would greatly benefit from its passage. I appreciate your consideration for healthier, more equitable schools.


Sincerely,


Maggie Flolid

UMD student

Advocacy Project: Issue Overview

Introduction
Issue/problem: To increase the amount of money reinbursed to schools from the state for lunch programs.
Proposed bill: H.F. 0784
Description: The goal of this bill is to reinburse schools 52 cents per reduced price school lunch meal, from 12 cents per meal.

Who is Affected by the Issue?
who is affected most? I think that the children and the guardians of the children that are buying the reduced price school lunches will be the most affected. This is because if the school is receiving more money for these lunches it will give them the opportunity to provide the children with healthier lunches.
who loses? The tax payers of children who are not recieving the reduced priced school lunches. They are then may be paying more money towards something they or their children won't necessarily benefit from.
who gains? The children eating these school lunches will be able to better focus in school and will have had the opportunity to eat a healthy meal. This also benefits the teachers of these students.

What are the consequences of the issue?

for individuals mostly affected? More children will recieve a nutritious lunch everyday.  This will help the children learn more which will in turn affect their teachers.
for their families: The lunch prices will be less expensive, so it will save their family money. It will take away some stress by knowing that their children are eating a healthy lunch everyday.

for society: A benefit for society is simply that there would be a moral benefit in knowing that the children in their society are better taken care of. But it will also cost tax payers more money. 

 What is the economic impact of the issue?
what are the economic costs? and who bares these costs? More of the state of Minnesota's appropriated funds would be going towards this issue. Therefore perhaps making it so another issue may not get the needed or recommended amount of funds. So the tax payers bare the costs.
What are the economic benefits of the issue, and who benefits? There would be a benefit for the school district because there would be more kids eating school lunches.

What is the social impact of the issue?

What are the social costs of the issue, and who bears these costs? a social cost would be if this bill does pass other programs which were recieving funding from the state may be cut due to insufficient funds.

What are the social benefits of the issue, and who benefits? It's a benefit to society to have school children that are well fed and ready to learn.

What are the barriers?


What are the barriers to addressing this issue? Some people will not want to pay for the possible extra funding.


How can they be overcome? By convining people that it's a benefit to the greater good of society to have children focusing better in school, and also that it's an ethically correct decision.

What are the Resources?

What resources will we need to address this issue? The main resource needed will be money.  Also, people who are opposed to this issue may need more information. The MSNA would offer some good informtion.



Where and how can they be tapped? Tax payers money is the main place the money would be coming from.


What is the history of this issue?
What is the history of the issue in the community?  I seem to have some accross a couple bills that were similar to this one for the state of MN such as HB 252. But for this specifc bill it was first read and introduced February 16, 2009. Where it was then passed on to the Finace committee. on February 26 a new author was added (Kahn).

Allies & Opponents
Who would support this issue? Supporters would be those who feel having healthy and fed kids in school is extremely important.


Who would oppose this issue? People who would oppose this issue would be perhaps people that do not have all the information, do not have children, and/or do not want there taxs to increase or have other programs funding be cut.



My Recommendation


How do you want policy-makers to vote on this proposed policy?  I think that policy makers,especially the state representatives should vote Yes on this topic!

Advocacy Project: Healthy People/THOMAS

Healthy People 2010/ Thomas

The topic that I chose was "Promote Health and Reduce Chronic Disease Associated with Diet and Weight"
The objective I chose:19-3 Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese.Sub-objective I chose: 19-3c Children and adolescents aged 6 to 19.


Progress 
for 13-c : 'moved -83% away from the target.'


Disparities for 13-c: 
  Race and ethnicity
-The group with the best rate for 19-c is White non-hispanics
- Disparities from the best group rate are Hispanic or Latino and Black non-Hispanic. Both being 50-99% away from the disparity group.
Gender, Income, and Disability
-Females with higher income are in the best group rate.
-Males are less than 10% from the best group rate.
-Lower incomes are 10-49% away from the best group rate.


Opportunities and Challenges


Data and Community involvement are crucial to aide in the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Dietary Guidelines help to manage weight and the risk of chronic disease by identifying healthy eating and physical activity patterns. Other tools to help establish positive eating habits are the DASH-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-eating plan and food labels.


Instituting healthy behaviors in children may possibly increase the prevention of obesity and diet related disease later in life. School wellness policies are sponsored by HHS partnered with USDA. Children should also be taught in the classroom healthy behaviors. Curriculum should range from a variety of topics, such as, nutrition and energy balance within the body. Parents and caregivers also play an important role in the prevention of obesity and disease


Emerging Issues
Since obesity has started to increase, new drugs and bariatric surgery will most likely become popular options for treatment. More data and monitoring should to be collected for these and other possible therapies surrounding this issue. Although, preventing people from becoming obese would be the best way to help stop the current trend of obesity in the U.S.

Related Bill

H.F. 0784 State reimbursement increased for reduced price school lunch meals from 12 to 52 cents per meal, and money appropriated

Sponsor: Newton

Last major action: 2/16/2009 it was referred by Chair to K-12 Education Finance Division

Recommendation: Vote Yes for H.R. 0784 State reimbursement increased for reduced price school lunch meals from 12 to 52 cents per meal, and money appropriated.

My Political Representative: State Representative Joe Hoppe

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President

Barack Obama

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Comments: 202-456-1111

Switchboard: 202-456-1414

"Contact the White House"


U.S. Senator

Al Franken

320 Hart Senate office building

Washington DC 20510

DC Phone: 202-224-5641

MN Phone: 651-221-1016

Contact Page



U.S. Senator

Amy Klobuchar

302 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Northwest and Central
Main Fax: 202-228-2186

Contact Page and Information Page



U.S. Representative

John Kline


Minnesota Office:

101 West Burnsville Parkway  #201
Burnsville, MN

Phone: (952) 808-1213


Contact and Information Page
 
 
 
State Senator

Julianne Ortman

100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

State Office Building, Room 125
St. Paul, MN 55155-1206

Phone: (651)296-4837

Contact Page

State Representative

Joe Hoppe

317 State Office Building

100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
 
Phone: (651)296-5066


Contact and Information Page




Minnesota Governor

Tim Pawlenty

130 State Capitol
75 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

Phone: (651)296-3391

Contact Page


County Board

Gayle O. Degler

541 Pine View Court

Chanhassen, MN 55317

Phone: (952) 403-7047


Contact and Information Page

Introductory Post

Welcome to my Maggie's Environmental Lifestyle page! I'm a new community health major, and I'm not completely sure what I want to do with my major when I graduate. I have worked with children for a long time, and am interested in nutricion, so I could see doing some kind of combination of the two.


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