Maintain Funding for Healthy Schools Act in D.C. Fiscal Year 2011 Budget

Dear Councilmembers,

As organizations and individuals working to improve child health and well-being and end hunger in the District, we urge you to maintain all funding in the Fiscal Year 2011 budget for continued implementation of the Healthy Schools Act and its comprehensive approach to school wellness. With 43 percent of District students obese or overweight, we cannot afford this cut which would result in a major step backward just as the city is making real strides in its struggle against childhood obesity and hunger.

Specifically, we call upon the D.C. Council to reject the Mayor’s Gap-Closing Plan, released on November 23, 2010, that calls for:

• elimination of $4.691 million and six full-time employees for Healthy Schools Act initiatives in the Office of the State Superintendent of Education; and

• elimination of $534,000 for Healthy Schools Act initiatives in the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization.

We recognize the tough fiscal situation facing the District. However, it is surprising that cuts to the Healthy Schools Act are even being considered, given that the D.C. Council approved a 6 percent sales tax on soda to ensure full funding for the Healthy Schools Act of 2010. Six thousand District residents rallied in support of this soda tax, primarily because the $8 million in projected soda tax revenues would specifically fund implementation of the Act, which was unanimously passed by the Council in May 2010.

Hailed as a school wellness model for the nation, the Healthy Schools Act sets high standards for school nutrition, access to school meals, physical and health education, and more. Since its implementation began in August 2010, we have already begun to see important changes that are improving children’s health and nutrition. For example:

• Healthier, tastier meals are appearing on cafeteria trays city-wide. Schools have re-written year-long food service contracts – including D.C. Public Schools’ multi-million dollar contract with Chartwells – to comply with the Act’s strong nutrition requirements. Stripping the funding for these school meal contracts with enhanced nutritional standards would mean children would get less fruits, vegetables, and whole grains each day.

• More students are accessing healthy school meals (which is ever-more important as hunger rates rise in the District) as schools implement Healthy Schools Act requirements such as offering free breakfast to all students, serving breakfast in the classroom, and eliminating the reduced-price co-pay for lunch. DCPS reports that since it began serving breakfast in the classroom, breakfast participation is averaging 79 percent of all students -- meaning that hundreds more low-income children are starting the day fueled and ready to learn compared with last school year.

• New jobs have been created for District residents as schools bring in more federal and local funding due to increased participation in school meals. This Act is helping to stimulate the local economy. For instance, newly hired food service workers are preparing healthy school meals from scratch at Kelly Miller Middle School, D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School, and others.

During these trying economic times, families are relying on healthy school meals and school wellness programs more than ever, and District children deserve a fully funded Healthy Schools Act. Stripping this funding from schools would not only derail the exciting work that has already been accomplished, but also will force a step backwards in our struggle to reduce hunger and obesity for the more than 70,000 children currently attending D.C. Public Schools and public charter schools.

We hope we can count on your continued support of the Healthy Schools Act.

Capital Area Food Bank
D.C. Farm to School Network
D.C. Hunger Solutions
American Heart and Stroke Association Mid-Atlantic Affiliate
Earth Day Network