09/22/10 Childhood Nutrition Reauthorization
Dear PLN members,
The Childhood Nutrition Reauthorization is an issue that is being dealt with at the federal level that has potential for significant impact at our school district level. Congress must either reauthorize school meal programs or pass a temporary extension.
Please consider contacting your senators or representative and ask them to refrain from any further action on the reauthorization until the legislation provides school districts with the sufficient resources and local authority to administer them effectively and without unfunded mandates.
Unfunded mandates have created significant financial hardships for school districts for many years. Our goal is to have fewer unfunded mandates and this legislation will add new ones. When school districts are given unfunded mandates, the money to implement the mandate often comes from the general fund, leaving less money for teachers with the end result of higher class sizes.
Page 2 of the National School Boards Association’s Child Nutrition Issue Brief describes the many new requirements and unfunded mandates that school districts would be subject to if either bills were passed and signed into law.
Please click here to write you legislators immediately.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this issue and contacting your legislators with your concerns.
Supporting Excellent Education in District 279,
Mary Ellen DeBois, Shelly Korby and Julie Fournier
Your District 279 PLN Co-Chairs