- The Republican Governor of Vermont proposed to cut the state’s universal school food program to reduce the cost of education and property taxes.
- Democratic MPs argued the program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all students, saves money, reduces stigma, and helps local farmers.
- Republican says this program is useless, as it benefits families who can pay for food, and would prefer to expand the eligibility for free and low-value food.
Universal school foods are to live here, at least according to Democratic MPs, who insist that they will fight to maintain the program, even the Republican village. Phil Scott threatened to reduce the program as part of its budget proposal.
The Universal School Food Program, which promises two free food daily for each student regardless of the income of his parents, is one of the many recommendations that is one of the many recommendations that tax about 6% of this year’s property tax To eliminate the growth, its budget proposal is after many years. Cost of snowballing education in Green Mountain State.
The Universal School Food Program has been a law in Vermont – to adopt the sixth state policy – since 2023. Scott has opposed the program from the beginning, but allowed the bill to be made a law without its signature, accepting the Legislature that a veto would end the effort. If the Legislature had to eat universal school, Scott said that his plan would be to return to its previous income-dependent system for Warmont.
Scott said during his weekly press conference on Wednesday, “From my point of view, I think it is not right to ask less lucky families to support more prosperous families.” “I think we need to roll the back and with the funding of education that we see as a crisis, more practical, more appropriate in the context.
Scott said, “We are capable of carving $ 77 million to buy those rates,” saying that if Democratic MPs do not have to cut universal school food, then they need to come elsewhere without increasing them “Tax and fee.”
Next afternoon, Senate majority leader Kesha Ram Hansdel (D-Berlington), fellow Democratic MPs and other universal school food supporters said in their own press conference to let any change, let’s completely end completely, from the program table Is far away.
“We wanted the governor to know how to provide meaningful property tax relief and meaningful education reforms in the process of finding,” Ram Hansdale said.
Universal School Food: Necessary or waste of money?
During the press conference on Thursday, Advocates of Universal School Food argued that this program is successful in its mission, it is successful in their mission to ensure that a child slipped through cracks and hungry in school. Is; More than $ 100,000 school districts at administrative cost and more than $ 100,000 in more than $ 1,000 per child every year; And supports the local agricultural economy.
“We are here today because Universal School is carrying out food attacks-not because it is not working, but because it is,” said Sen Joe Major (D-Windser). “The village.” Scott did not loudly stated the cool part, that he wants to cut a program that is efficient, cost -effective and highly supported by vermontors. ,
Gaston Bathlon, president of the North Country Supervisory Union, emphasized that universal school food reduces the stigma associated with packing a small, insufficient lunch or not being able to buy food after food loan, and every Gives the child the necessary nutrition for “flourish”. Class.
The Senate minority leader Scott Bake (R-Calledonia), who has long opposed the Universal School Lunch, dismissed the concerns of his democratic colleagues in a phone call with free press on Friday afternoon.
“I don’t believe it should have been in the first place,” Bake said about the program, saying that universal school could be used less than $ 20 million to pay for lunch ” To get a big bang.
Like Scott, Bake said that the program is “using food insecurity to eat food in the mouths of those who are not insecure” and that wormont “cannot bear social programs where everyone gets benefits Is.”
Asked how he would ensure that students who qualify for free food are fed, even if their parents do not sign up for the program, Beck said, “At some point, There should be accountability on the part of the parents. “
“Maybe we should give food to everyone for free at the cost of a taxpayer,” Bake said. “Why do we not make all food free in all grocery stores – if it is argument that anyone wants to use.”
Bake said that she and fellow Republican MPs expanded the eligibility of the program in exchange for Universal School Food, and would continue to support such an option.
Scott also denied that there is a stigma related to free or less food in today’s world, arguing that every person receiving food from school has used inseparable food cards, whether they have their parents Paying with money or school.
Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for Burlington Free Press. Contact him at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.
