School officials worry about less fresh food for students' lunches

School officials worry about less fresh food for students' lunches

Cafeteria workers may have to rev up those can openers: That's the warning from a slew of school and elected officials who are worried that California will run short of the money it gives school districts to supplement school breakfasts and lunches.

State schools chief Jack O'Connell has been warning since December that the money could run out this spring, and this month Assembly Bill 95 was introduced -- which would provide $19.5 million to make up for the shortfall. The state pays 22 cents for each meal a student gets for free; the federal government provides the bulk of the funding -- $2.17 to $2.57 per every free or reduced-price meal served.

And on Friday, officials gathered at L.A. Unified's huge central Newman Nutrition Center to dramatize the problem. In LAUSD, 78% of students are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals. And the number is growing, according to the district, as parents get squeezed in a rough economy.

Without the additional funding, L.A. Unified Supt. Ramon Cortines said, schools will serve less fresh fruit and vegetables ...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2009/01/worries-about-l.html