Local schools struggling to afford healthy lunches
»Play Video
TACOMA, Wash. -- New federal food regulations have changed what's being served for school lunch this year, but finding money for the healthier options is straining Tacoma's already strapped meal budget.
Raising the price of lunch is a nonstarter because 62 percent of the district's students are eligible for free and reduced-cost lunches, which is a higher percentage than any other large district in the state.
Tacoma's Franklin Elementary School serves up lean and green choices for its students. There's a salad bar stacked with fruits and vegetable, where romaine has replaced iceberg lettuce and buns are now multigrain and smaller.
"The pizza has to be a smaller crust. It can't be as much bread in it because that would exceed the limit," said Paul Scott, the manager of nutrition services.
For many Franklin students, school lunch is the only healthy meal they'll get all day. A full 77 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced lunches, and that number is growing.
Because of that, Franklin's lunch program is losing money at a rate of 10 cents per meal and the district is working with a $400,000 loss on its lunch program.
"We haven't raised prices for the meals to paying students in about 7 years," Scott said.
Scott said the district would have to raise lunch prices from $2.50 to $3 to even make a dent in the program's losses, but that might discourage some parents from paying and keep kids from receiving the nutrition they need.
So the district is trying to save money in other ways. Franklin is encouraging students to take only what they'll eat in an effort to cut down on food waste.
"Just that concept lowers our food cost because people throw away less of the food they take," Scott said.
It appears that message has found a home with many of the young students.
"Well, I used to waste food, but now I'm not wasting anything," said student Carter Johnson.
If the school doesn't have dairy, protein, multigrain and fruits or vegetables on its lunch trays, it will lose about 6 cents per meal from the government. That's not happening at Franklin because lunch ladies are policing the plates and sending students back or handing them raisins.
Raising the price of lunch is a nonstarter because 62 percent of the district's students are eligible for free and reduced-cost lunches, which is a higher percentage than any other large district in the state.
Tacoma's Franklin Elementary School serves up lean and green choices for its students. There's a salad bar stacked with fruits and vegetable, where romaine has replaced iceberg lettuce and buns are now multigrain and smaller.
"The pizza has to be a smaller crust. It can't be as much bread in it because that would exceed the limit," said Paul Scott, the manager of nutrition services.
For many Franklin students, school lunch is the only healthy meal they'll get all day. A full 77 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced lunches, and that number is growing.
Because of that, Franklin's lunch program is losing money at a rate of 10 cents per meal and the district is working with a $400,000 loss on its lunch program.
"We haven't raised prices for the meals to paying students in about 7 years," Scott said.
Scott said the district would have to raise lunch prices from $2.50 to $3 to even make a dent in the program's losses, but that might discourage some parents from paying and keep kids from receiving the nutrition they need.
So the district is trying to save money in other ways. Franklin is encouraging students to take only what they'll eat in an effort to cut down on food waste.
"Just that concept lowers our food cost because people throw away less of the food they take," Scott said.
It appears that message has found a home with many of the young students.
"Well, I used to waste food, but now I'm not wasting anything," said student Carter Johnson.
If the school doesn't have dairy, protein, multigrain and fruits or vegetables on its lunch trays, it will lose about 6 cents per meal from the government. That's not happening at Franklin because lunch ladies are policing the plates and sending students back or handing them raisins.
My 14 yr old daughter and i were just talking about school lunches this last weekend. She was telling me kids have to take a fruit and veggie and most won't (or can't due to things like braces) eat them so they just get thrown away.  At her school they offer whole apples and oranges which most kids don't like she and her friends counted and just at their table of 20 kids 17 threw away a piece of fruit or veggie they HAD to take (school policy is to take a piece of fruit and a veggie).  If they would offer cut up fruits and a bigger selection so much less would be wasted, and quit making the kids take what they won't eat.Â
 @MomOf2 I think it's kind of funny how so many on the left are "pro-choice," but then try try to force things on people. Give the kids healthy choices, and LET THEM CHOOSE. Really, it's simple. You waste less (saves money) and the kids don't have anything to rebel against, so they end up making better decisions.
Also, have teachers (and invite in parents too) sit with the kids and set a good example by eating good foods in front of them. Have in-school food-prep programs so they get a personal buy-in because *they helped make it*. Have the kids look at what they have at home as part their evaluation of themselves (wow, introspection!) and figure out what they can do to improve things. But, in the end, you get worse results if you try to force it.
Besides -Â why in the name of all that's warm and fuzzy should a local school district be dictated to about diet from the FedGov when they have gotten it wrong every time so far? Weren't they the ones that pushed low-fat (which they let get replaced by high-fructose)?
Well then maybe you need to quit giving away so many damn free lunches then! Really? And you're gonna make the 23% who actually pay for lunches pay more?
I would bet that the majority of these students come from families that receive Food Stamps (or whatever they call it now). Why can't a part of that money be used to pay for school lunches?
"Bread ... would exceed the limit." Â IÂ question the merit of an school lunch program.
Â
I do not question the merit of a lovingly prepared lunch at home.Â
Maybe the parents of some of these kids should start packing their own kids' lunch. How to pay for it? They don't need smart phones, flat screen TVs, Netflix, and the like. Start taking care of your own kids FIRST!
Â
Government handouts are killing this country.
"Raising the price of lunch is a nonstarter because 62 percent of the district's students are eligible for free and reduced-cost lunches, which is a higher percentage than any other large district in the state."
Â
62% of kids have free or reduced cost lunches? I thought schools were there to EDUCATE kids not feed them. Perhaps the schools should start supplying clothes too? I get that some families are poor and that we have food stamps, but why on earth are two thirds of kids needing free lunches? Isn't the food stamp program supposed to cover that?Â
Â
Â
 @nwbackpacker I get your point, but the fact is that it's hard to teach kids that are malnourished. So there needs to be a better way to solve the problem.
I am pretty sure if a kid is eligible for a free or reduced cost lunch the family is on some kind of.. oh I don't know.. food stamp program? Parents, pack a lunch for your kids using the free money you are getting and don't spend it on pop and chips (don't get me started on that topic). It is cheaper that way. If a kids parents don't feed them, toss them in jail for child neglect. Everyone is soo quick to lay feeding of kids on the government, why not have them take care of everything. Lets have the schools start providing clothes too. Personal responsiblitly is dead.
@Nitroxman Kids who get free or reduced lunches don't always have parents who are on foodstamps- the limits on income for free or reduces lunches are set a lot higher than they are for foodstamps to make sure kids are able to get a healthy lunch while at school. I don't think taking away their lunches would help. One thing they need to do is start offering foods the kids will actually eat- so much food gets thrown away. My 14 yr old was just talking to me about this last weekend- the few fruts and veggies her school offers most kids won't/can't eat yet they have to take it anyways- it then gets thrown away and is nothing but a waste of money.Â
Schools and waste...Hmmmm...
The amount of food waste within schools is UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE. I regularly volunteer at my son's school and during a recent lunch visit I noticed kids throwing away more food than they ate, amounting to large garbage cans FULL of money wasted. Makes your stomach hurt seeing how much food was trashed.
Â
 @Tattooed_Angel Yup. It starts with being pro-choice. That is, you give them healthy options, and *let them choose.* don't force it. Their bodies will learn what to get, and there will be less waste.
I admit, I got lucky - I got kids that will snack on raw green beans or cooked beats or pickled herring or whatever, and when packing their lunches we give them balanced choices for them to pick from on what to put in their lunch.
But it all starts with giving them healthy options AT HOME, before the school system gets to them.
How about getting rid of the free lunches and school lunches? School is for education, not meals. Everyone bring their own lunches to school. If your kids go hungry, it is your problem. If your kids are obese, it is your problem. Force some of these parents to take some responsibilities.
@STK Did you not read the part in the article that stated, "For many Franklin students, school lunch is the only healthy meal they'll get all day." How are hungry children supposed to focus in class with their tummies growling? For some of these kids, their school lunch is the ONLY source of nutrition for them. It's sad and it breaks my heart thinking about these children that go hungry and I agree, something needs to be done, but taking away food from children is not the answer.
Â
The amount of food wasted in school is staggering. School districts need to figure out a way to reduce the WASTE of food and that will save them money.
 @STK So I take it you're fine going without a lunch every day during your work day?Â
Â
Study after study has shown that hungry kids have severely reduced capacity to focus on learning.
 @mhungry  @STK "So I take it you're fine going without a lunch every day during your work day?"
Â
No. I take a lunch from home every day. In fact right now I'm cooking a very cheap meal of rice, homemade chicken stock (made from carcasses of leftover chickens), tofu and corn. It's cheap and delicious and I'll have plenty to take to work tomorrow.Â
Â
Parents should feed their own kids.
Â
 @nwbackpacker  @STK That's all well and good if you have the money to do so. I grew up in a home where we did not. My father left us at age 12, and left my mother, a homemaker with no real work experience to take care of three kids. Child support was erratic to non-existent depending on when he had a job. She got a job, and worked her rear off to try and not fall into the full DSHS system. Nonetheless, she couldn't make enough to completely take care of us. We had to go on the free lunch program. It was embarrassing as a child. It was the only meal we had though that guaranteed us growing kids a properly balanced meal. Most of what we ate at home was cereal, oatmeal, bread, pasta. Things that stretched far with three preteen and teenage boys.Â
Â
It's NOT always that easy. In an ideal world, parents would feed their own kids. But you know what, this isn't an ideal world. I'm MORE than OK with my tax dollars going to put food into children's mouths.
 @mhungry  @STK I think thats what parents are for to feed there Kids, get up in the mourning feed them and make them lunch or give the money to buy a lunch. I will say this again BUY a lunch.
@Mike Parents are SUPPOSED to make sure their children are properly fed, however read some of the stories KOMO publishes and you'll realize that some "parents" don't give a shhhh about anything else but themselves and DON'T take care of their children. School is the one place these children can fill their bellies.
Â
I'd rather see sports be eliminated in schools before I see lunch taken away from children who would starve without it.
Â
Â
 @mhungry  @STK You can not give ever thing for free That is not how the kid of today should be brought up. Walking around with there HAND OUT. It is not good mentally to teach hand out
 @Mike  @STK All well and good if you have the money. If you don't though...
In Edmonds School Dist. they were giving free morning and lunch meal at 4 schools all summer what did that cost to keep the school open an the food.
The fact that supposedly its "expensive" to make a healthy meal shows everything that's wrong with our corn-subsidized economy.Â
While I myself do not work for any school district, I do have close relatives that do and the wasting of food that they have been telling me about has been just ridiculous they aren't allowed to take any of this food that is usable for a period of time to a shelter or donation it just gets dumped I'm sure this isn't helping the cost of this at all. I don't know what the legal ramifications would be of a school donating and then writing it off would be....
 @CheerioSquirts Watch the documentary called 'Dive'. Some of your favorite stores toss good food everyday and it is sad.
Â
CheerioSquirts? YUK!  lol
$2.50 for a full, balanced meal? That's nothing. $3 is nothing. I'm not saying I'd appreciate the price raise as a parent, but realistically speaking it's nothing compared to what I spend on my child already. I can't even get that much of a meal as an adult! I say raise it. You're always free to make your own kids' meals and accept all the hassle that comes with it. *shrugs*