Tulsa World: Tulsa, state schools' free meal eligibility rises

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Tulsa, state schools' free meal eligibility rises

By TOM LINDLEY World Capitol Bureau
Published: 8/18/2008 2:06 AM
Last Modified: 8/21/2008 1:43 AM

Correction
This story included an incorrect figure for the number of state students who are eligible for The National School Lunch Program. About 355,000 students, or 55.5 percent of the total enrollment, were eligible for the free/reduced lunch program last school year.

OKLAHOMA CITY — State Superintendent of Schools Sandy Garrett says it's easy to get caught up in numbers because student performance benchmarks, graduation rates and college admission scores matter more than ever.

But another number also grabs her attention — the number of Oklahoma school children who are eligible for The National School Lunch Program, which provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals to children whose parents qualify based on income guidelines.

About 640,000 Oklahoma students, or 55.5 percent, were eligible for the free and reduced-cost lunch program in the 2007-08 school year.

The number is higher in the Tulsa School District — 82.6 percent, according to the Education Department. This year, at McKinley Elementary School, eligibility is so high that all of the 480-plus students will be allowed to participate.

"Serving two meals a day makes us the largest restaurant in Oklahoma," Garrett said.

Serving the needs of those children is even more difficult when they get to the classroom, said Anne Roberts, executive director of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.

"The

free and reduced numbers are the canary in the minefield for me because they are an indication of poverty, and poverty does bad things to children," she said.

Some of those students may arrive at school with nutritional problems, have gaps in their vocabulary and life experiences and bring a lot of stress with them from home, some of which may be tied to their family's financial plight.

"We happen to be a state that benefits from high oil prices, but at the same time high oil prices are driving some of the poverty that is going on," Roberts said.

Garrett said state agencies, local educators and community civic and faith-based organizations are scrambling to fill the gap because poverty affects student performance.

At McKinley, principal Cassandra Funderburk said several churches organized an effort to provide a new school uniform for every child.

"It was awesome," Funderburk said of the back-to-school night when the uniforms were handed out.

This year her goal is to recruit a mentor or reading buddy for every child.

The Camp Fire USA Green Country Council in Tulsa is providing services, including after-school programming, to more than 25 schools. It expects to serve about 1,500 boys and girls, about 300 more than last year.

"When you look at what's going on with families who have plenty of resources, you see they are in quality after-school programming, get homework help, take dance lessons, that sort of thing," said Bobbie Henderson, executive director of the organization. "We try to make up that difference because those are opportunities that help children advance in their academic pursuits."

At McKinley, Funderburk said students may participate in a chess club, art club, music club or be involved in Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts or the Camp Fire program, all of which integrate math and reading into the activities. The after-school program also offers General Education Development classes and English-as-a-second-language classes to parents.

In Sand Springs, School Superintendent Lloyd Snow is partnering with the county health clinic and community groups to meet students' needs. The district got a boost recently from a $1.2 million state grant to continue a summer program targeting low-income families.

"We're hustling to partner with every source we can find to provide services," Snow said. "It's a very tough day-in, day-out effort by everyone and anyone in the schoolhouse."

Garrett said she commends schools for stepping up to the challenge at a time when state funding is flat and when transportation costs are up, along with what she calls Oklahoma's "misery index."

In her State of Education address in July, Garrett said Oklahoma is No. 1 in incarcerating women, has the highest rate of child abuse fatalities and the highest percentage of uninsured families and leads the nation in the prevalence of grandparents raising their school-age grandchildren.

"This isn't to make excuses, but it's to know what our challenges are," Garrett said.

Funderburk said first-year teachers' eyes were opened when school started.

"They don't always teach you about a child who is in a challenging situation at home, who is very frustrated and doesn't know how to handle situations we wouldn't know how to handle ourselves," she said.

But she said teachers are excited because "we have wonderful students and wonderful families who just are in challenging circumstances."

Tom Lindley (405) 528-2465
tom.lindley@tulsaworld.com

Free lunch rates

Statewide percentages of public school students qualifying for free-reduced meals for the last five school years:

2007-08: 55.5 percent
2006-07: 55.4 percent
2005-06: 54.84 percent
2004-05: 54.11 percent
2003-04: 53.23 percent
Source: Department of Education
By TOM LINDLEY World Capitol Bureau

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	Report Comment Tony G, (8/18/2008 7:17:25 AM) I wonder how much of this is caused by illegal immigration and anchor babies? Clearly--half of the school students are of Mexican descent. Most of these parents cannot speak English which suggest they are not legal immigrants. Illegal immigration is destroying the neighborhood around McKinley, so why not the school as well.
	Report Comment Davy Crotchety, (8/18/2008 7:29:33 AM) "Clearly--half of the school students are of Mexican descent." Wrong. Clown.
	Report Comment Serenity, (8/18/2008 1:00:13 PM) Tony G: WRONG! If an immigrant cant speak English does not mean he or she is an illegal. also, just because they are brown, they are of Mexican descent. The students could also be from Middle Eastern, or from Colombia, Venezuela, etc. descent or you think these Countries belong to Mexico?
	Report Comment CWG, (8/18/2008 1:14:19 PM) The numbers seem rather high to me, wonder how many of these kids see about twenty dollars worth of beer when they open the fridge.
	Report Comment Legal Citizen, (8/19/2008 12:19:46 PM) Now, if the bleeding hearts are finished castigating Tony G, let's get back to his question: How much of this is caused by illegal immigration and anchor babies? Callous or not, it'a good, valid question that deserves an answer. Another question is, how has the income threshold changed during these years? The politicians like to raise these thresholds because the more people they can make eligible, the more votes they can get. SEDN: "A child is a child, if they are hungry, feed them! Sometimes the breakfast and lunch they receive at school are the only food they might receive all day." Is that not the parents' responsibility? My taxes already go to a plethora of government handouts, why do I also have to pay specifically to feed their kids as well? If a parent doesn't have to spend his welfare money to feed his kids, then it becomes discretionary income that can be used on other essentials like beer and meth. Clue: No parent will ever assume the responsibility of feeding their kids if the government will do it for them.
	Report Comment Legal Citizen, (8/19/2008 5:38:10 PM) SEDN: "Why do some of you ASSUME that just because a child gets free school lunches that they are automatically on welfare?? Both parents can be working, and the child could still get free or reduced lunches." If both parents are working, then why do I have to pay to feed their kids? I have a hard enough time feeding my own. You were the one referring to hungry children whose only meals are free school lunches. Those would be people who are either on welfare or are completely irresponsible. Call me selfish or callous or whatever, but I have absolutely no interest in helping the latter. I think a lot more kids are eligible for this program than should be. Let's let parents feed their own kids and allow the school to put that money toward educating them. And I'd still love to know how many of these are kids of illegal immigrants.
	Report Comment owen, Tulsa (8/19/2008 6:33:26 PM) I wonder if you are aware that many children of teachers, policemen, firemen, and nurses qualify for free or reduced lunches??????? I hardly call these people lazy or irresponsible. Would you prefer that all the policemen and firemen quit and get higher paying jobs so you don't have to help feed a hungry child? I am glad that you have never needed help in life. It must be wonderful.
	Report Comment Legal Citizen, (8/19/2008 9:02:35 PM) Owen: "Would you prefer that all the policemen and firemen quit and get higher paying jobs so you don't have to help feed a hungry child?" Anyone who makes that kind of money can afford to feed their own kids - they're not going hungry. It just reinforces my point: Way too many children are eligible fo rthis program and all people want to do is make even MORE kids eligible and then whine because our schools are "underfunded."
	Report Comment FuglyDude, (8/19/2008 10:11:11 PM) I have seen kids on free lunch programs whose parents are perfectly capable of paying a buck seventy five to feed them! Seriously! Yet, the mom has money to get her nails done, have a pedicure, go to the beauty salon, and the kid dresses in the finest clothes, the dad has a brand new truck, etc. etc. Also, if a family is on welfare, that should be sufficient for the family to send their kid to school with a peanut butter sandwich and a banana. Over 55 percent??? No way.
	Report Comment Legal Citizen, (8/20/2008 5:39:38 PM) FuglyDude: "Over 55 percent??? No way." And that's in a state that ranks 8th highest in obesity. The parents are fat and the kids are starving....? Riiiight. Makes perfect sense to me.
	Report Comment NonArcane, Tulsa (8/22/2008 2:07:08 PM) What? I can't believe the comments thus far. We are talking about children, little people brought into a malarranged world of bold dysfunction and variant deprivation and loss at present. Ms. Garrett is revealing positive information, that our local educational system is attempting to accomodate victims of our now tattered socio-economic states. Poverty is no joke, nor may the same necessarily be discerned as some result of explicit indolence or apathy. I once knew, had lunch with wealthy individuals. Lived a much better life. Local snobbery, though, suggests that anyone disadvantaged must be some sloven, indolent individual deserving of discomfort. Without essential nutrition and health matters accomodated, involved youth would merely develop with greater disadvantage and possibly pose additional harm to increasing crime rates and more. Beyond that, they are children and deserve every effort to be protected and loved. Maybe Oklahoma can one day again reap reward from oil production/sales. But for any such benefit to result, our overall economy must be profoundly restructured.
	Report Comment Legal Citizen, (8/25/2008 1:34:09 PM) " ...little people brought into a malarranged world of bold dysfunction and variant deprivation and loss at present. Ms. Garrett is revealing positive information, that our local educational system is attempting to accomodate victims of our now tattered socio-economic states." What? I don't know what parallel universe you're living in, but you can keep it. "Poverty is no joke, nor may the same necessarily be discerned as some result of explicit indolence or apathy." I don't know about indolence or apathy, but more often than not it's the result of drug addiction, involvement in crime, dropping out of school, and/or getting pregnant while too young, Those aren't acts of nature - those are deliberate choices. Of course it's the children who suffer the stupid decisions of their parents, and our non-judgmental society and government are enablers.

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