On September 6th the Baraboo Wisconsin school district announced it would no longer be offering milk with the mid-morning snack at its elementary schools. I at first thought this was rather shocking. but after reading about their reasoning I now support the board in this decision. Please read this article entirely before you make your judgment.
The Board made the decision after reviewing cuts in school budgets that would force poorer students not to take part in the program. This would then force a two tier program, with the privileged getting milk and the others drinking only water. I know kids should learn that the world is not fair.... we hear this from the tea party folks all the time.........but I am sure the children have gotten that message long ago at home, on the street, and from other children. In school I think we should have a more level playing field. The sometimes cold and cruel world is waiting just outside the schoolroom door.
"Many parents pay 30 cents for the daily dairy offering, but state funding through the Wisconsin School Day Milk Program helps pay for the cost of milk for students from poor families," says Molly Fitzgerald, Principal and Director of Elementary Programming at Gordon L. Wilson Elementary School.
Even with the support from the state program, students who received milk with their snacks through the free and reduced-price lunch program cost the district about $10,400 last year. This year, the district instead plans to encourage all students to drink water with their morning snack.
With the budget crunch going on, at least this school district is showing parents the effect Walker has had on public schools. Walker's draconian cuts have placed Wisconsin in the unenviable position of being number one in cuts to public schools, the highest in the nation.
The school district feels the voters need to see what effect Walker's cuts are having on schools so they can make informed decisions about the future of their school system. Of course, with Walker's proposed deregulation of environmental protection laws, the water quality may not be very good just a few short years from now either, so drink it while you can.
The Board made the decision after reviewing cuts in school budgets that would force poorer students not to take part in the program. This would then force a two tier program, with the privileged getting milk and the others drinking only water. I know kids should learn that the world is not fair.... we hear this from the tea party folks all the time.........but I am sure the children have gotten that message long ago at home, on the street, and from other children. In school I think we should have a more level playing field. The sometimes cold and cruel world is waiting just outside the schoolroom door.
"Many parents pay 30 cents for the daily dairy offering, but state funding through the Wisconsin School Day Milk Program helps pay for the cost of milk for students from poor families," says Molly Fitzgerald, Principal and Director of Elementary Programming at Gordon L. Wilson Elementary School.
Even with the support from the state program, students who received milk with their snacks through the free and reduced-price lunch program cost the district about $10,400 last year. This year, the district instead plans to encourage all students to drink water with their morning snack.
With the budget crunch going on, at least this school district is showing parents the effect Walker has had on public schools. Walker's draconian cuts have placed Wisconsin in the unenviable position of being number one in cuts to public schools, the highest in the nation.
The school district feels the voters need to see what effect Walker's cuts are having on schools so they can make informed decisions about the future of their school system. Of course, with Walker's proposed deregulation of environmental protection laws, the water quality may not be very good just a few short years from now either, so drink it while you can.
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