Comments DLBulley has made
One Success within budget
When you read the New Yorker Article Mr. Burkhard Bilger clearly states that Berkley adds to the federal reimbursement. So Berkley schools get the $3.00 while the rest of us work with $2.34.
Speaking of breakfast Many schools advertise to parents to guarantee your child a healthy breakfast by sending them to school. They give the kid a doughnut and milk, and make a nice profit on the reimbursement. Before you send your child to school for breakfast take a look at what they eat.
Anyway I work as a consultant part time in a school district where we have successfully changed the entire school to a "Healthy School" while remaining in line with the federal reimbursement. Buying squash and apples from local (1/2 hour drive) farmers saves money so we can spend a little more on whole-wheat whole grain products & low sugar low fat foods.
We started with educational programs instead of starting with healthy foods. The healthy foods were introduced after reaching a point where the kids were asking for it at lunchtime. Many people are surprised to find that it actually costs less. Now they sell healthy food in the concession stand at school events, they have low sugar frozen yogurt parties and they serve broccoli at lunch and the students love it! Even the convenience stores outside and around the schools have started selling produce and hand fruit because the students wanted it. Now the students go to a healthy school and live in a healthier community. This is success!
In Bilger's article it seemed that after two years of working toward the same goal at an exorbitant $95,000.00 per year for a foodservices director the students revolted and she went back to using many of the unhealthy practices. Also she doesn't seem able to manage to get under the $3.00 per student food cost at lunch. That system sounds like a failure to me.
I have been a chef for sixteen years, I have worked in some fairly prestigious places, I have turned down good paying jobs as executive chef in big hotels. I recieve little pay as a part time consultant and spend a lot of time with my family. Yet Kids First has been able to turn this school district on its head and give them healthy schools.
No one writes about us, because, Pawtucket Rhode Island is not Berkley California, and we don't bring in a chef and make her a celebrity to get the job done. We change the whole system so that when we are no longer involved the system remains and the students in Pawtucket will get healthy food, because "that's the way we've always done it." When Ann Cooper leaves Berkley, I think their food services will span back to what it was before she came.
On It's time to get serious about reforming school lunches posted 3 years, 1 month ago 2 Responses