Bill aims to raise
funds for lunches

DOE officials would be
required to apply for
federal assistance

The Lingle administration has submitted a bill to the Legislature that it says could generate $31.5 million in additional federal funding this year for the Hawaii school lunch program and other public school needs, plus $10.5 million each year thereafter.

The bill would make it mandatory for the Department of Education to apply each year for federal matching funds for every dollar it spends on health services for Hawaii schoolchildren, Department of Human Services Director Lillian Koller said.

Koller said the administration drew up the bill in response to concerns raised this week by DOE officials that the school lunch program is being starved of funding under Lingle's budget, which could lead to higher lunch prices.

Lingle and the Legislature slashed state funding to the program over the past two years, forcing the DOE to divert funds from other programs.

Traditionally, public school students are charged $1, or one-third the cost of supplying each meal, with state and federal funds kicking in the rest.

The DOE is asking for $10.6 million in state subsidies for the program in each of the next two years, but Lingle's budget calls for just $5 million a year.

Koller said the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid provide matching funds for all state expenditures on student health services. She said that should supply the DOE with about $10.5 million annually, plus $21 million in leftover funds from the last two years that Hawaii is still eligible to claim.

"Public school systems throughout the nation are taking advantage of these federal funds while Hawaii has not," Koller said.

DOE officials were not available for comment yesterday.