The school lunch program may starve to death by 2005 if it does not receive an additional $10.7 million, state school officials say. School lunches
hungry for fundsState officials say cuts threaten
the future of the food programBy Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.comIn November the state Budget & Finance Department ordered cuts of $20 million to the program for fiscal years 2004-05 to pay for books, supplies and equipment and to cover projected salary shortfalls in the Department of Education.
"When they cut this, it puts at risk school lunch for all kids," state Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto said. "We will have to find the funds."
"The magnitude of this cut was too deep," said Ed Koyama, department budget director.
But for now, the Department of Education will ask the Department of Budget & Finance to raise the ceilings on the amount of federal and special funds it can use for fiscal year 2004 so the department can use leftover funds to help make up for the budget cuts.
The $1 price of a school lunch covers a third of the $2.75 cost and must be subsidized with both special funding (from the amount paid for lunches by students and faculty) and federal funding.
The food service program generally costs about $75 million a year, but because of the cuts, the program will have a $10.7 million deficit by fiscal year 2005.
Lunch prices could rise so high that the program will "become a feeding program only for children who qualify for free needy status," the department warned.
The school food services program includes breakfast, child and adult nutrition programs and summer programs, as well as regular and reduced-cost lunches.
Koyama said the school food services program director had examined ways to cut the program.
"We cannot eliminate lunch or breakfast to students," he said.
And it did not make sense to cut other supplemental programs that generate revenues, since federal funds are provided per meal.
Koyama said the Department of Education is looking at alternatives.
State Department of Education