By Marcus Dieterle
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Students at four low-income schools would all be eligible for free or reduced priced lunches next year under a pilot program being considered by the Baltimore County Council.
If approved, the proposed plan would save each family at Riverview Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary, Dundalk Middle and Dundalk High School an average of $540 a year – the amount they would have paid for school lunches if they either did not qualify for free and reduced meals or if they had failed to apply for the program.
In addition, all families with children who attend these schools would automatically qualify for the free or reduced meal program and would not have to fill out the normal application – a process that officials say deters many low-income families from trying to qualify for the meal assistance program in the first place.
Brooke McCauley, a representative for Maryland Hunger Solutions, told the council during its work session today that the program is necessary for students to have a healthy and focused learning environment.
“It’s difficult to thrive and become a productive citizen in society when you’re going hungry,” McCauley said.
McCauley also suggested additional alternative meal options that could be implemented, such as “breakfast after the bell, grab and go meals, second chance breakfast, and breakfast in the classroom.”
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The proposed Community Eligibility Pilot Program, which is scheduled to come up for a vote at the council’s next meeting on March 21, would cost approximately $485,000. The council said it hopes to secure that funding through Baltimore County’s budget. However, there is currently no money in this year’s budget allocated for the pilot program nor have funds been determined for next year’s budget yet, according to Lauren Watley, a spokesperson for the county executive’s office.
Resolution 32-16, which was cosponsored by Council members Vicki Almond, Tom Quirk, Cathy Bevins, and David Marks, would implement the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the federal Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The act allows schools with high poverty rates to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students. It would impact students during the 2016-2017 school year.
Rather than collecting applications from each student’s household, CEP determines eligibility for school meals based on the Identified Student Percentage (ISP) number for that school. According to the CEP requirements, a school is eligible for free and reduced meals if 40 percent of its students are “directly certified” through means other than application.
The four schools that would be part of the pilot program have ISPs from 43.06 percent to 62.87 percent.
Councilman Julian Jones calculated that at approximately $3 per lunch for approximately 180 days in the school year, students would normally pay on average $540 per year on lunch, not including the cost for breakfast. For low-income students whose families are unable to complete the necessary application, he said, these meals are often too expensive.
Under the program, BCPS would report quarterly to the council and the Baltimore County Food Policy Task Force on the effectiveness of the pilot program.
The Task Force will have 18 members, including local food producers, nutrition educators, and Hawthorne’s assistant principal, Kate Miller.
During the meeting, Bevins read aloud from a letter from Miller. In the letter, Miller said that 81 percent of students at Hawthorne qualify for free and reduced meals. However, many families are unable to fill out the forms that are currently necessary to obtain those meals.
If the resolution passes, students at Hawthorne and the three other schools will not have to face the obstacles that applications can pose.
Nobody at the working session opposed the resolution.
In addition to the resolution, the council discussed Bill 8-16, introduced by Bevins, which would change the regulations for the setback of agricultural structures from 50 feet to 25 feet.
The bill would impact horticultural nurseries, landscape service operations, agricultural roadside businesses, firewood operations, and other controlled-environment structures such as greenhouses.
The Council also discussed Bill 9-16, which would prohibit a person from parking in a space designated for plug-in vehicles if that individual is not operating a plug-in vehicle.
The bill, also introduced by Bevins, would charge individuals who are guilty of such an act with a misdemeanor and they would be subject to a $75 fine.
Nobody at the working session opposed either of the bills.
The resolution and both bills are scheduled for a final reading and a vote at the Legislative Session on March 21 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers.