School nutrition leaders speak out after the U.S. House proposes $12 billion in cuts

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala. (WTVY) - School nutrition professionals are pleading with Congress after the U.S. House proposed a budget cut that would impact at least 12 million students.

One Wiregrass area nutrition director is in D.C. to meet with lawmakers to advocate against these cuts.

In the recent effort to cut down on federal spending, the U.S. Means and Ways Committee proposed a $12 billion cut within the next 10 years to school nutrition programs.

In response, the national nonprofit School Nutrition Association is asking Congress to think long and hard before cutting funding to a program that provides K-12 students free meals.

SNA president-elect Stephanie Dillard is among the leaders worried about the future of this.

“A lot of area schools in the Wiregrass operate a program called the Continuing Eligibility Program (CEP), and this allows students to eat breakfast and lunch for no charge,“ Dillard, who serves as Enterprise City Schools’ Child Nutrition Director, said.

Introduced as part of the Hunger-Free Kids Act a few years ago, CEP provides much-needed help to high-poverty schools.

The proposal also outlines a different verification process and applications.

Part of the proposal sets a new threshold for schools that must have at least 60% of students eligible for free or reduced meals to participate. That’s up from the current 25% requirement.

That means districts like Houston County Schools that currently participate in the program could be ineligible if they do not meet that threshold.

“It plays a very big role because we have so many students where lunch and breakfast at schools are the main meals they have every day. So, without having that program available, that is really going to affect their home life, health, and education. They can’t learn if they are hungry,“ Marie Payne, the Houston County Schools Nutrition Director, said.

SNP predicts that 24,000 schools in the country would be impacted by the cut.

This would add to existing challenges, such as increased prices and a billion-dollar cut in funding to purchase food from farmers.

“Food pricing increases, for example, eggs, have grown astronomically. Local restaurants can add a surplus charge to their menu. We can not add that extra cost to students. We need the funding to continue servicing our students,” Dillard said.

Dillard and other SNA leaders spent time meeting with members of Congress to advocate against the proposed cut.

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