The Agency of Education must have been feeling a bit contrary with lawmakers Tuesday.
Spokesperson Ted Fisher told lawmakers the agency does not support legislation proposing universal school breakfast and lunch.
The bill, which was introduced by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, would require schools to offer breakfast and lunch to qualifying students free of charge. It also aims to incentivize schools to buy local food as a means of strengthening the state’s agricultural industry.
The program would cost $40 million to $50 million.
Fisher was concerned about the price tag and uncertainty about how data for the new food program would be collected.
“We don’t know if this is the right year to be doing it,” Fisher said, suggesting that his agency supported the concept but questioned the timing.
Sen. Chris Pearson, P/D-Chittenden, vice chair of the committee, took Fisher to task. The program was more important now more than ever, he said, citing rising rates of food insecurity in the state.
“We’re now weeks into discussing this and hearing that the agency is a little uncomfortable with some of the strategies,” Pearson said. “Tell us what to do. Tell us how to get to yes.”
“The fact that you’re not bringing forward suggestions of how to better accomplish this is really distressing to me,” Pearson added.
Later in the day in another committee, Education Secretary Dan French threw cold water on a group of senators over a different proposal.
French joined lawmakers in a joint Senate Finance Committee and Senate Education Committee hearing on S.13, a bill that requires the Agency of Education to devise a plan for implementing education finance reforms recommended in a study released last year.
The study recommends tax incentives that would encourage poor districts to spend more and affluent districts to spend less. Figuring out how to make those changes would be difficult, technical and deeply political, French told senators.
“The agency can’t do it,” French said bluntly.
Putting the study’s findings into practice is a “worthy goal,” he stressed, and the agency is willing and able to “partner” with lawmakers to provide technical help. But he suggested an outside entity be tapped to put together a plan to do so.
As the March 12 deadline for policy bills to move out of committee approaches, it remains to be seen what will be done with either of these education measures, which as of yet do not have the support of the agency.
As with many other pieces of legislation, it’s crunch time as lawmakers near next week’s Town Meeting Day recess.
—Amanda Gokee and Lola Duffort
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