School nutrition, wellness issues on national agenda
Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act presents a good opportunity to find new ways schools can help fight childhood obesity, with revised guidelines for nutritional content and new requirements for physical activity all under discussion. First Lady Michelle Obama has joined the cause with her own initiatives to get kids moving and eating more healthy foods.
CSBA’s Federal Issues Council met with the staff of Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-San Rafael, who is sponsoring the House reauthorization bill, H.R. 1324. The Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009 would require all foods served in schools to meet new nutrition standards, including individual items sold in the cafeteria or in vending machines.
The bill seeks to increase federal support for meals at after-school programs and free meals for all students at high-poverty schools, and expansion of summer meal programs. The legislation would also provide funds to set nutrition standards and strengthen local wellness policies—all goals CSBA supports.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Arkansas, who chairs the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, is carrying the Senate version of the reauthorization bill—S.934, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010—with similar provisions.
Funding, flexibility sought
In their meeting with Jason Feld, legislative assistant to Rep. Woolsey, FIC delegates expressed support for legislation that would ensure school meals are of high quality and would expand access to subsidized meals. CSBA also supports adjusting meal reimbursement rates and income eligibility requirements to reflect local costs of living, an issue Feld said has not been discussed very much, probably due to the poor economy.
CSBA Deputy Executive Director Martin Gonzalez informed Feld that California school board members do not approve of federal standards that would pre-empt state standards which might be stronger. Feld noted the House supports that position as well but warned that Lincoln’s Senate committee is among the primary advocates for preemption.
School boards also need to be supported with the resources to develop, implement and evaluate school wellness policies, Gonzalez also told Feld. Some funding for training is included in the bill, Feld said, although its prospects remain uncertain.
The Nutrition Act’s reauthorization also came up in meetings with policy advisers to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the House Committee on Education and Labor. Elizabeth Miller, Pelosi’s senior education policy adviser, was not optimistic that legislators would complete that task if reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is not finished by August. In the meantime, she said Californians should be thinking about what they would like to see included in the Nutrition Act reauthorization that would provide schools with greater flexibility.
Policy adviser Gabrielle Serra said the House committee is sensitive to regionalized cost issues but that Congress has not yet reached consensus on creating a specific cost index.
‘Let’s Move!’
Also during the trip, President Frank Pugh delivered an invitation for First Lady Michelle Obama to speak at CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show in San Francisco this December. Her health and fitness initiatives dovetail well with CSBA’s work on student wellness, Gonzalez noted.
“Our FIC contingent found congressional staffers and members of the First Lady’s staff genuinely concerned about children and their health and well-being,” Gonzalez said. “To a person, we all recognized that healthy children do better in school.
“We look forward to working with the First Lady’s Office to help promote her ‘Let’s Move!’ campaign as well as working with Congress to find a way to ensure the Nutrition Act reauthorization is responsive to the needs of children, families and the institutions that serve them.”
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