Sen. Don Schaible, Mott

There’s been a few headlines lately criticizing the legislature for bills related to school lunch and school choice. I want to set the record straight on those issues and the work the legislature has done to ensure the best possible education for all children in North Dakota.

First and foremost, I want to stress that no child should ever go hungry in this state. Good nutrition is essential to learning and I care very much that students in our state don’t go hungry.

While a bill to provide some students with free school lunches (HB 1491) did not pass the Senate, we did pass related school lunch legislation in HB 1494. That bill ensures ALL students at schools participating in the federal school lunch program receive a meal when it’s requested, regardless of their ability to pay or status of their meal account. It ensures no child will go hungry. In addition, it prohibits discrimination toward any student due to unpaid meal accounts.

In contrast, HB1491 provided free meals only to those students whose families are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that is $60,000. Many at this level and below are already able to get significantly reduced lunches. Further, this does not take care of students who may be above this level, but whose families may be suffering financially for other reasons, such as a job loss or unexpected medical bills. Thus, many felt it made the most sense to support a program that takes care of all students while keeping meals affordable for those who need it. We also felt that we needed the full budgetary picture before passing another school lunch bill. In addition, with our strong commitment to local control, if we adequately fund our per student payment, the school district can decide which issues are prioritized and funded. That seems to be much more efficient than the state micromanaging and carving out money for specific issues.

Finally, HB 1532 on school choice isn’t about diverting public school dollars to private schools. It is about supporting students. It takes NO money from public schools, nor does it fund private schools. Our public schools do a fantastic job educating our children. In fact, through the Common Schools Trust Fund, we’ve put over $500 million into K-12 education this session to ensure they have all the resources they need to continue to do so. HB 1532 simply designates $10 million from the general fund to make reimbursement grants available to families below a certain income level who would prefer a private school but may not be able to afford it. It isn’t about private schools versus public schools. It is about providing families an option who otherwise wouldn’t have the ability to choose. If North Dakota is going down the pathway of school choice, then the choice should be available to every student regardless of financial, physical, or learning ability. HB 1532 does not quite get us there, but it may be the first step.

Every legislator is working hard to ensure the best possible education for all students in our state. I get catchy headlines sell more newspapers, but they do not usually tell the whole story. As the session winds down, we will continue to do everything in our power to put our students first.