ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
FINAL
REVISED
school breakfast
incentive program.
Purpose
Establishes reporting requirements for schools that do not offer the federal school breakfast program by September 1, 2001. Requires the Department of Education to submit a report by October 31, 2001 to the Governor, Legislature and Joint Legislative Committee on Hunger relating to schools participating or not participating in the federal school breakfast 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.
Provisions
1. 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 by September 1, 2001.
2. Requires the Department of Education to issue a report to the Governor, Legislature and members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Hunger by October 31, 2002 and October 31, 2003.
3. Stipulates the report relates to school years 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 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.
4. Repeals the school breakfast incentive pilot program on January 1, 2004.
5. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments Adopted in Committee of the Whole
1. Removes the appropriation.
2. Removes the provisions relating to the school breakfast incentive pilot program.
3. Maintains all provisions in the bill relating to the reporting by schools on reasons for
nonparticipation in the school breakfast program, and specifies the report is due by
September 1, 2001.
4. Changes the Department of Education report date to the Governor, Legislature and Joint Legislative Committee on Hunger from October 31, 2002 and 2003 to October 31, 2001, and specifies the report relates to school years 2000-2001 or 2001-2002.
House Action Senate Action
ED 2/26/01 DP 7-2-1-0-0 ED 4/5/01 DP 5-2-1-0
APPROP 3/6/01 DPA 12-0-0-4-0 APPROP 4/3/01 DP 9-1-2-0
3rd Read 3/21/01 40-16-4-0 3rd Read 4/24/01 18-10-1-0
Signed by Governor 5/1/01
Chapter 299
Prepared by Senate Staff
May 15, 2001