Wednesday, March 10, 2010
S.F. students ask Pelosi for better school food

Dear Speaker Pelosi,
Something is wrong with my lunch!
The veggies are brown and have lost their crunch!
We want good food to munch!
We need healthy foods to learn and grow,
corn beans, and potatoes, ya know?
Please, please, please, please, etc.,
help us have better food.
Thank you,
Derek Kong

This is one of the many messages written on the paper plates S.F. public school students adorned with requests to improve public school food and presented yesterday to the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).

Students from 25 schools decorated over 2,000 paper plates with poems, splashes of paint, Chinese characters, illustrations of dancing fruit and vegetables–all heartfelt cries for better food in schools.

Lena Brook, a parent at Grattan Elementary and founder of the SF School Food Coalition <sfschoolfood.org> , organized the effort, and yesterday Brook brought all the plates to Jose Ortega Elementary School where the children’s art was handed over to Nancy Pelosi’s deputy district director Melanie Nutter at a special assembly.

The assembly kicked off with Jose Ortega P.E. teacher Michael Gomez leading the audience — some 260 kids, including my own daughter who attends the school — in jumping jacks, making the point that exercise is an important part of being healthy.

“Every one jump as high as you can,” Gomez called out.

The gymnasium seemed to be filled with giant frogs as the kids leaped high into the air.

Jose Ortega students Shania Dubose and Guenne Sarmient want to see fresher foods in S.F. public schools.

With a fresh head of lettuce and a loaf of organic bread in their hands, fifth graders Shania Dubose and Guenne Sarmient got up on stage and made their case for better food at school. “As members of the student body council we think the school should serve healthier food that kids want to eat,” one of them said.

And the Jose Ortega nutritionist Megan Blanton made a speech, “The food choices you make now will help you set a pattern for life-long healthy habits,” she said.

Next, Brook made a presentation and explained that she organized the Paper Plate Campaign because The Child Nutrition Act is moving through reauthorization in the coming weeks and months. The funding for school meals programs is allocated through the Child Nutrition Act. This is how San Francisco pays for the over $5 million meals served to the city’s public school children every year.

SFUSD’s food is provided by Chicago-based Preferred Meal Systems <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?blogid=46&entry_id=50855> , and while it meets the USDA standards and is considered “healthy,” it’s a far cry from the fresh-tasting meals that many students, parents and administrators would like to be served in local schools.

“By creating a strong and well-funded Child Nutrition Act, Congress has the power to give school districts and food service directors the resources they desperately need to improve school meals,” Brook said. “First and foremost, we ask that reimbursement levels be increased by at least $1 per child in order to improve food quality. Second, it is crucial that the 2010 Child Nutrition Act improve access to school food for more children by increasing reimbursement levels in high cost areas and revising income eligibility requirements to reflect the widely differing costs of living throughout the country.”

Currently, the Federal Government reimburses the district up to $2.70 per meal for those who qualify for free or reduced lunch–roughly more than half of all students in the SFUSD qualify. Unfortunately, only $1.75 of that money is actually spent on food. The remainder is used to fund operational expenses.

The assembly ended with Nutter accepting the bags brimming with paper plates and a board showing off 15 especially creative ones. “I will hang this in Pelosi’s office and she will see it when she’s back here in April,” Nutter said.

“Although it is a tough fiscal environment for all issues in Congress, the Speaker will continue to work with her colleagues to move the Child Nutritional Reauthorization Act soon since improving children’s health is one of the Speaker’s top priorities,” Nutter added. “I will make sure the Speaker knows of my visit here today and will relay your messages about the Child Nutrition Act to her.”

Nancy Waymack, the District’s Director of Policy and Resource Management, presented a very interesting PowerPoint to Board Members, outlining exactly what Student Nutrition Services provides as well as an update on the department’s fiscal circumstances.

Though by now, our brains are finely tuned to glaze over whenever the dreaded PowerPoint rears its ugly head, I have to say that I was riveted. Three main threads stood out for me and provided much inspiration as I contemplate what is on tap for our work in 2010.

First and foremost, what quickly emerged from the presentation was that we already have data proving that when investments are made in our school food program, student participation – the holy grail when it comes to success – rises. Better food and a well-managed program can be a reality and a win for all. This is great news!

Second, the SNS department spends A LOT of money on labor. To the tune of an average $92,714 per FTE (including benefits) – and we have less than 74 staff to manage the entire food program, at over 100 schools. What opportunities does this provide in terms of the future? Do we need more staff to run a strong program? Can we create higher-skilled jobs with this level of expenditure? This will be interesting to consider.

And finally, our Board members are getting behind the concept of change! Jill Wynns, Budget Committee Chair, asked Ms. Waymack to have the facilities department evaluate the feasibility of a central kitchen. Budget Committee member Rachel Norton spoke about the need to prioritize high school lunch participation. Sandra Fewer, Chair of the Curriculum and Program Committee, talked about creating a long-range plan for substantially improving school food and growing food for schools at schools!!!

Please continue to spread the word about the SFSFC – and join our monthly meetings, held in the Mission the 3rd Wednesday of each month (the next is January 20th). Contact Lena Brook at sfschoolfood@gmail.com for meeting details.

I have set up a poll to generate more information about community opinion. If there is a standout response in any direction, the SFSFC will generate a letter regarding this issue to be shared with Superintendent Carlos Garcia, the Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee, and school Board members.

The poll will close in one week. Please spread the word!!