What We've Been Told

Journal story.....

Free school lunch numbers continue to rise

During the past decade, the percentage of students participating in the Free and Reduced Lunch program has nearly doubled in some Butler County school districts

In the 2002-03 school year, Lakota schools reported an 8.44 percent participation rate. That percentage has more than doubled to 18.38 percent. Fairfield’s participation has tripled in the same time, from 10.54 percent to 32.57 percent.

In the 2002-03 school year, just over half of Hamilton’s students participated in the FRL program. While that number rose to 71.5 percent in 2012-13, that’s just a 0.7 percent for the current school year.

Middletown’s percentage of FRL students went from 41.74 percent a decade ago to 74 percent this year. The increase from last school year is 3.8 percent

MIDDLETOWN/HAMILTON.....TWO CITIES THAT HAVE ABSORBED MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE OF LOW INCOME FAMILIES AND THE RESULTS OF THAT ABSORPTION. PARTLY DUE TO THE POOR ECONOMY. PARTLY DUE TO THE CITY'S DECISIONS TO OPEN THE DOOR TO ATTRACT THIS SEGMENT OF SOCIETY WITH THE RESULT BEING A SATURATION OF LOW INCOME, CONCENTRATED IN TWO BUTLER COUNTY AREAS.

OVERWHELMING NUMBERS FOR HAMILTON, NEW MIAMI AND MIDDLETOWN WHEN COMPARED TO THE OTHER DISTRICTS......

Percentage of students participating in Free and Reduced Lunch program

2002-03 2011-12 2012-13

Edgewood 16.3 35.1 36.41

Fairfield 10.54 31.32 32.57

Hamilton 50.67 70.08 71.5

Lakota 8.44 15.4 18.38

Madison 13.21 32.37 34

Middletown 41.74 70.2 74

Monroe 15.4 26.5 25

New Miami 43.68 73 82

Ross 10.95 22.67 26

Talawanda 15.72 40 38

Source: School districts

BUT WAIT!!!......

HERE'S SOMETHING WE HAVE BEEN TOLD FOR YEARS BY THE SCHOOL BOARD. THEY HAVE STATED SEVERAL TIMES THAT THE OVERABUNDANCE OF LOW INCOME HAS HURT THE PERFORMANCE. IF SO, HOW DOES ONE EXPLAIN THIS COMMENT......

Being a low-income school does not necessarily translate to being a poor performing school. Later this week, Richard O Jones will visit a school in Hamilton that has 100 percent participation in the Free and Reduced Lunch program, but earned an “Excellent” on the most recent school state report card.

HMMM. NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS SCHOOL AND HOW THEY MANAGED TO OVERCOME WHAT THE MIDDLETOWN SCHOOLS HAVE NOT.

justwatching wrote: The Free/Reduced lunch program in our country is one that really really really pisses me off. The income level is not that low to qualify, and people who get free lunch also get many other things like: Food sent home on Fridays to make sure the children eat over the weekend and Free breakfast The other sad part about this program is that it is mandated. I know families that don't have a lot of money, but they get by. They cut coupons, etc. and are able to send their children to John XXIII at the tune of $3,500 a year... these people are not rich, but they make it work and scrape by. However, because of their income, they are REQUIRED to take free lunch and take food home on the weekends. It is embarrassing for them. They are hard working people who do not want a hand out... but the government requires that they take it. I think the dramatic increase in free lunches directly corresponds to the Obama administration and Michelle Obama's push for healthy school lunches, etc.

HMMM....PEOPLE WHO DON'T NEED OR WANT THE HELP ARE FORCED TO TAKE IT BY THE DAM GOVERNMENT....

THEN......YOU HAVE OTHER GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS LIKE MEDICAID THAT DENY PEOPLE, WHO REALLY NEED THE HELP, BASED ON INCOME. WHERE IS THE CONTINUITY IN QUALIFICATION CRITERIA FOR THESE PROGRAMS? I HAVE DIRECTED THAT QUESTION TO THE GOVERNOR, A STATE SENATOR AND THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND NO ONE WANTS TO GET INVOLVED ENOUGH TO PROVIDE AN ANSWER NOR TRY TO REVISIT THE QUALIFICATION RULES. DOESN'T AFFECT THEM PERSONALLY, SO THEY DON'T WANT TO BOTHER THEMSELVES WITH CHANGING IT.

Thanks for the response Marcia, do you know if signing up for any other type of government assistance would require signing up for the lunch/backpack program? I'm going to ask the family I know in this situation as they seem to think it is mandatory (or possibly they just don't like admitting they actually do need the assistance, which is understandable sort of).

Justwatching, sorry, I did not see your new question before I posted my addendum. There may be some sharing of income eligibility information between programs; I am not sure. John XXIII has a tuition assistance program for families at or below certain income levels and if they applied for that, the school may have used the information to sign them up for the lunch program as well. Even if they did, the school can't force the child to eat the meal if the family preferred to send a lunch to school.