ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
school breakfast
incentive program.
Purpose
Appropriates $1.1 million in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the state general fund to the Department of Education to establish a two-year school breakfast incentive pilot program.
Background
The federal school breakfast program allows students from low-income families to receive free or reduced price breakfast in schools. Students may participate in the federal school breakfast program based on income-level eligibility requirements established by federal law. In Arizona, there are approximately 240 schools that do not offer the federal school breakfast program, according to a December 2000 report by the Arizona Department of Education.
The average cost of providing a school breakfast to each student is $1.30 per student in Arizona. Of that amount, the federal government provides schools with a reimbursement of $1.09 for students eligible for a free breakfast or a reimbursement of 79 cents for students eligible for a reduced price breakfast, with eligibility requirements established based on the student’s family household income level. Because the federal government does not subsidize schools for the total cost of $1.30 for providing breakfast, participating schools pick up the difference in cost for those students eligible for a free breakfast. Additionally, federal law prohibits schools from charging students more than 30 cents if they receive a reduced price breakfast in order for the school to make up the difference in cost.
H.B. 2211 addresses supplemental funding of the federal school breakfast program. The bill contains an appropriation of $1.1 million from the state general fund in each of fiscal years 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. Any fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with the implementation of this bill is unknown at this time.
Provisions
1. Establishes a two-year school breakfast incentive pilot program.
2. Appropriates $1.1 million in each of FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003 from the state general fund to the Department of Education to fund the school breakfast incentive pilot program. Prohibits school districts that participate in the school breakfast incentive pilot program from being entitled to state reimbursement for program costs beyond these monies appropriated.
3. Requires the Department of Education to reimburse school districts and charter schools up to an additional 5 cents per meal for each child participating in the federal school breakfast program during FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003.
4. Requires schools with 35 percent or more of pupils eligible for the federal free or reduced school lunch program, but that do not offer the school breakfast program to report the school’s reasons for not participating in the school breakfast program to the Department of Education.
5. Requires the Department of Education to issue a report to the Governor, Legislature and the Joint Legislative Committee on Hunger members by October 31, 2002 and October 31, 2003.
6. Stipulates the report relates to school years 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 and includes:
(a) Data on participation rates of schools and pupils in the federal school breakfast program.
(b) Reasons why nonparticipating schools do not offer the federal school breakfast program.
(c) Recommendations for continuing the school breakfast incentive pilot program and ways to increase overall participation in the federal school breakfast program.
7. Repeals the school breakfast incentive pilot program on January 1, 2004.
8. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
March 30, 2001