A long wait for federal lunch money
First lady Michelle Obama has lunch with school children at Parklawn elementary school in Alexandria, Va. (Jan., 25, 2012) Credit: AP
30 -- That's how many years it has been since the federal government, which decides what food public schools can serve, increased the reimbursement to districts for those meals. New standards were announced last week that include more fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and skim milk, as was a 6-cent-per-lunch hike in the federal reimbursement. The tiny increase and 30-year wait are unfair. If Washington must control and subsidize school food, it should do so at a rate that matches the increasing cost of serving it.
