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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 2011-08y j KEKALALASKA CITY OF KENAI RESOLUTION NO. 2011 -08 Suggested by: Council Member Marquis A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, IN SUPPORT OF SENATE BILL 3, "AN ACT PROVIDING FOR FUNDING FOR SCHOOL LUNCH AND BREAKFAST." WHEREAS, Alaska Senate Bill 3 was pre -filed on January 7, 2011 and introduced in the Alaska. Senate on January 19, 2011; and, WHEREAS, the bi- partisan bill proposes amendment to the Alaska Statutes, Chapter 14.03, by adding a new section to provide for improved funding of school lunches and breakfasts for eligible students; and, WHEREAS, the State of Alaska's education policy set forth in AS 14.03.015 states: It is the policy of this state that the purpose of education is to help ensure that all students will succeed in their education and work, shape worthwhile and satisfying lives for themselves, exemplify the best values of society, and be effective in improving the character and quality of the world about them; and, WHEREAS, Senate Bill 3, if enacted, would supplement the cost of lunches and breakfasts provided to each student who is eligible for a free or a reduced -price lunch under 42 U.S.C. 1771 1784; and, WHEREAS, scientific research shows that adequate nourishment and nutrition is imperative for proper cognitive and behavioral development in students, and that eating quality meals, especially breakfast, is directly related to increases in test scores, decreases in the rate of childhood obesity, and a decrease in school violence; and, WHEREAS, Alaska is one of only a few states that currently does not supplement school lunch and breakfast funding, and ranks 48th in the nation for participation in school breakfast programs; and, WHEREAS, Senate Bill 3 has the support of the Food Bank of Alaska, the Alaska Food Coalition, and other organizations, school districts and education boards throughout Alaska. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, the City of Kenai recognizes the importance of the adequate nourishment and nutrition of our children and students and supports enactment of Alaska Senate Bill 3; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution shall be forwarded to Alaska Senate President Gary Stevens, Alaska House Speaker Rep. Chenault and the RESOLUTION NO. 2011 -08 Page 2 of 2 other members of the Kenai Peninsula. Legislative Delegation, and the Senate Bill 3 sponsors including Senators Wielechowski, Ellis, Davis, Egan, French, Kookesh, McGuire, Menard, Paskvan, and Thomas. PASSED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, this second day of February, 2011. ATTEST: Carol L. Freas, City Clerk LPJ PAT PORTE', MAYOR Ryan Marquis RYAN MARQUIS (907) 283 -7405 Ph. (907) 398 -8058 Cell ryanlu;narquisforkenai.com To: Mayor Porter, Council Members Bookey, Boyle Gabriel,Molloy, Moore From: Council. Members Ryan Marqui Date: 01 -25 -2011 Subject: Resolution No. 2011-08: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENAI, ALASKA, IN SUPPORT OF SENATE BILL 3, "AN ACT PROVIDING FOR FUNDING FOR SCI -TOOL LUNCH AND BREAKFAST." I'm respectfully asking for your support on Resolution 2011 -08. This resolution would send the legislature our support of Senate Bill 3, which would provide funding to public schools for lunch and breakfast programs. Alaska is one of only a few states that do not supplement the federal funding of such programs, Only about one -third of the Alaskan schools that offer a free or reduced lunch program, also offer breakfast. Approximately 10,000 Alaskan children start their school -day hungry, making learning and development much more difficult than it should be. I've talked to a number of people that either work in, or spend much time in, our schools. They all have stories about hungry students. Some students are subsisting mainly off of the food they can get at school. Some even try to save some of their lunch to bring home for dinner. Students should be concerned about whether or not they studied their spelling words enough before a test, not about how they're going to eat that day. Senate Bill 3 won't end hunger in Alaska, but it will go a long way in reducing it. 1 understand that this will result in increased spending on the state level, but I believe that in the long -term, this is an investment. Students focused on learning and developing their social skills will constitute the next generation of business owners, teachers, scientists, elected officials, public safety officers, and members of the military. By supporting these students now, we're supporting our city, our state, and our nation's future. I sincerely appreciate your consideration of this resolution. BY SENATORS WIELECHOWSKI, ELLIS, DAVIS, EGAN, FRENCH, KOOKESH, MCGUIRE, MENARD, PASKVAN, AND THOMAS Introduced: 1 /19/11 Referred: Education, Finance SENATE BILL NO. 3 IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA TWENTY SEVENTH LEGISLATURE FIRST SESSION A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED 1 "An Act providing for funding for school lunch and breakfast." 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 27- LS0020 \M 3 Section 1. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 4 Sec. 14.03.127. State funding for school lunch and breakfast. (a) To 5 supplement the cost of lunch and breakfast provided to each student who is eligible for 6 a free or reduced -price lunch under 42 U.S.C. 1771 1784, in addition to public school 7 funding and subject to appropriation, the department shall provide funding to a school 8 district for lunch and for breakfast to each eligible student. To implement this 9 subsection, the department shall provide a base amount of 15 cents for each lunch or 10 35 cents for each breakfast, to which amount the department shall add an additional 1 I amount, expressed in cents and not applied as a cost factor, that is determined by 12 (1) reducing the applicable district cost factor provided in 13 AS 14.17.460 by 1.0; and 14 (2) dividing the remainder determined under (1) of this subsection by 15 four; the department shall round to the nearest cent a quotient that is not a whole SB0003A -1- SB 3 New Text Underlined ]DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 27- LS0020 \M 1 number. 2 (b) Beginning July 1, 2012, the base amount under (a) of this section shall be 3 adjusted annually on October 1 according to changes in the Consumer Price Index for 4 all urban consumers for the Anchorage metropolitan area compiled by the United 5 States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index for 2009 is the 6 reference base index for an adjustment made under this subsection. 7 (c) In this section, "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990. SB 3 -2- SB0003A New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] Session State Capitol, Rm. 101 Juneau, AK 99801 (907) 465-2435 Fax (907)465 -6675 Interim 716 W. 4` Ave, Ste 540 Anchorage, AK 99501 (907) 269-0120 Fax: (907) 269-0122 Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@legis.s e.ak.us Senator Wielechowski Introducing Bill for Healthy School Meals Legislation to help schools provide meals for kids in need For immediate Release: January 6, 2011 ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE SENATOR BILL WIELECHOWSKI Co -Chair Joint Armed Services Committee Resources Committee Member Energy Committee Judiciary Committee World Trade Committee ANCHORAGE: Senator 13111 Wielechowski (D Anchorage) announced today he is introducing bi- partisan legislation to make sure Alaskan students aren't going hungry Under this bill, schools taking part in the federal Free Lunch Program would also receive a much needed state match for those funds. This will encourage more schools to provide nutritious meals for children in need. Currently, Alaska is one of the only states in the nation that neglects to supplement the program. "Studies have shown that eliminating hunger in children increases school attendance and performance, while decreasing school violence and obesity," said Senator Wielechowski. "This is a worthwhile short -term investment that will go a long way in preventing more costly problems for Alaska in the future." "In Alaska, however, nearly a third of schools offering school lunch do not offer school breakfast, leaving 10,000 Alaskan children with no access to the most important meal of the day," Senator Wielechowski said. "For many children, these are the only nutritious meals they get on a regular basis" The match would add 35 cents per breakfast and 15 cents per lunch. To compensate for higher costs, rural schools will receive additional assistance through a funding formula based on the applicable School District Cost Factor. "The number of students in the Anchorage School District who qualify for free and reduced meals has risen markedly over the past two years," said Carol Comeau, Superintendent of the Anchorage School District. "Students who come to school and are well -fed at the beginning of the day do better in school academically, socially, and physically. 1 applaud the legislators who are co- sponsoring this important legislation." Other Senate co -prime sponsors of this bill include Johnny Ellis (D Anchorage), Bettye Davis (D Anchorage), Linda Menard (R Wasilla), Dennis Egan (D Juneau), Hollis French (D Anchorage), Albert Kookesh (D Angoon), Lesil McGuire (R Anchorage), Joe Paskvan (D Fairbanks), and Joe Thomas (D Fairbanks). This bill has the support of the Food Bank of Alaska, the Alaska Food Coalition. and the Alaska School Nutrition Association, as well as school districts and education boards across the state. For more information or media inquiries, contact Senator Bill Wielechowski or Christy Harvey at: 269 -0182. Making Increased Participation in School Breakfast a Top Priority During the 2009 -2010 school year, 14,164 low- income children in Alaska participated in the national School Breakfast Program, according to a new national report. While the number of children receiving school breakfast increased, many still are missing out. For every 100 low- income children that ate school lunch, only 38 also ate school breakfast in Alaska. The School Breakfast Scorecard, released annually by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), measures the reach of the School Breakfast Program nationally and by state, evaluating state performance by comparing the number of low- income children receiving school breakfast to the number of such children receiving school lunch. The best performing states reached about 60 per 100, and the national average was 47 low- income children participating in school breakfast for every 100 that received lunch. Alaska, well below average, ranked 43 in student participation out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Low participation means missed meals for children and missed dollars for states. If participation in Alaska rose to 60 low- income children eating federally- funded school breakfast for every 100 low- income children eating lunch, 8,006 more low- income children would start the day with a healthy breakfast and the state would gain an additional $1.9 million in federal funding. Two states, New Mexico and South Carolina, already exceed this goal and demonstrate that this is eminently achievable. "Breakfast is proven to boost test scores, improve attendance and participation, and help children start their day ready to learn," says Susannah Morgan, Executive Director of Food Bank of Alaska. "106 schools in Alaska currently do not offer breakfast. Senator Wielechowski's bill SB03 supports state funding to make it more feasible for all Alaskan schools to offer breakfast. This report demonstrates how important Senator Wielechowski's leadership is to our children." Not only does breakfast reduce hunger and improve education, but it also contributes to better nutrition. Children who participate in school breakfast eat more fruits, drink more milk, and consume a wider variety of foods than those who do not eat school breakfast or who have breakfast at home. "Given the concern for obesity in our children, it is disturbing that Alaska is leaving this money untapped," said Morgan. Nationally, participation in the School Breakfast Program grew to include 9.4 million low- income children during the 2009 -2010 school year, an increase of 663,000 low- income children over the previous school year and the largest increase since FRAC began tracking participation in 1991. Over the past two school years, participation in breakfast grew by nearly 1.2 million low- income children. The 2009 -2010 school year also saw the largest increase in lunch participation recorded by FRAC; the program reached nearly 20 million low- income children on an average school day. "Clearly, the recession created more childhood hunger and fueled growth in the school meal programs. While officials and advocates at the school, state, and federal level took important steps to boost enrollment, we still see that far too few children are starting the day with a healthy morning meal," said Jim Weill, FRAC President. About the report: The full report, School Breakfast Scorecard, is available at www.frac.org. To measure the reach of the School Breakfast Program, FRAC compares the number of schools and low- income children that participate in breakfast to those that participate in the National School Lunch Program. FRAC also sets a participation goal of reaching 60 children with breakfast for every 100 receiving lunch as a way to gauge state progress and the costs of underparticipation in the program. Nationally, the School Breakfast Program has grown to include 9.4 million low income children.