Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 14, 1995                   TAG: 9503140148
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                 LENGTH: Medium

SCHOOL LUNCH PLAN COULD END IN A POLITICAL FOOD FIGHT

Calling it ``one of the most successful and widely accepted'' government programs, Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, said Monday he would oppose legislation to abolish the federally funded school lunch and breakfast programs.

``I have never had someone come to a town meeting and say [the school lunch and breakfast programs] are an abuse or a fraud,'' Boucher said. ``It is a time-honored program that has been in effect for 50 years. I think it is ill-spirited to try and take it away.''

But Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, said the GOP proposal will mean more money for school lunches, not less as Democrats claim.

Under a proposal that passed the House Education Committee last week, the federal government would take money it currently uses in school nutrition programs and turn it over to states as block grants.

Although the states would still receive federal money, it would be significantly less, Boucher said. Currently, the program is funded with $5 billion a year.

``The block grant proposal would send $7 billion less over five years, then the states could take an additional 20 percent if they wanted'' for programs other than school nutrition, Boucher said.

Goodlatte, however, said through an aide that giving states the money as block grants will reduce overhead and make more funds available for food for the children.

Goodlatte is still reviewing the details of the proposal and the amendments that will be offered. Until he completes his review, he's not ready to say how he will vote, the aide said.

Boucher said 54,000 students in the 9th District, which covers parts of Roanoke County west to the Cumberland Gap, take part in the school lunch program; breakfast is served to 16,000.

In Montgomery County, 23 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced lunches. Twenty-two percent of students in Floyd County and 17 percent in Giles County receive free or reduced lunches. Radford has 18 percent of its students on the school lunch program.

In Roanoke, 48 percent of students receive free lunches, as do 13 percent in Roanoke County.

``For many of these students, the school lunch or breakfast is the only nutritious meal they receive during the course of a typical day,'' Boucher said.

``Something that really concerns us about this bill is they are discussing dropping the nutrient guidelines'' if the states get the money as block grants, said Michael Marcenelle, food service director for Montgomery County.

Marcenelle said current guidelines require one-fourth of the recommended daily allowance of nutrients be served for breakfast and one-third the RDA for lunch.

``If the program is nixed, and if the only meals they're getting are breakfast and lunch, there will be kids that won't get any nutrition at all.''

Marcenelle also said it is misleading to categorize the school lunch program as part of a welfare reform effort.

``The school lunch program is not a handout program,'' he said. ``We only get reimbursed for lunches sold.''

Marcenelle added that the reimbursements also help offset the cost of the regular lunches, keeping the total costs down for all children. Lunches in Montgomery County cost $1.10 in the elementary schools and $1.20 in secondary schools. Children on reduced lunches eat for 40 cents.

Staff writers Joel Turner and Rick Lindquist contributed to this story.