Board skeptical of “cheese sandwich” proposal

February 23, 2010

Three members of the Belen Consolidated Schools Board of Education tonight nearly defeated a policy that might deny some students a hot lunch.

The board members — Julian Luna, Jamie Goldberg and Sammy Chavez — quickly expressed opposition to the proposed policy, which in three paragraphs says students who have charged five meals and haven’t repaid the cost can be “denied meal service due to excessive charges.”

Instead of a standard hot lunch, the nonpaying students “will be given a substitute meal (to be determined at that time),” according to the policy.

“I would really hate to set up a policy in regards to this, especially in these trying times. A lot of families that may not have at one time qualified for a free meal, the dad may have lost his job, been laid off or furloughed by the state, and may just not have enough money at this particular time,” Luna said. “I’m not in favor of this policy.”

The policy doesn’t say the students would get cheese sandwiches as the alternative meal, but Chavez compared the policy to when Albuquerque Public Schools was serving cheese sandwiches to its nonpaying students. Chavez doesn’t see nonpaying students as a serious problem in the district.

“When it happens, and it does happen on an infrequent basis, I think we need to have some compassion and some ability to allow these students to have a meal without being singled out,” he said.

Superintendent Patricia Rael said the district doesn’t have a lot of nonpaying students, but she said some students are habitual.

Board Member Adrian Pino, who, along with Board Member Dolores Quintana, brought the policy to the board, said they did so to deal with “the ones that take advantage of the system.” Quintana said the policy is meant to target students who can pay for their lunch but don’t.

“We wanted to make sure that those who could afford to pay should pay,” she said.

Goldberg said he doesn’t want to deny some students meals when others who can afford to pay get free and reduced-price lunches simply because they go to a school where free and reduced-price lunches are universal.

“There’s no way I’ll approve this. It won’t have my vote. It’s not going to happen,” he said.

The board approved the first reading of the policy. The three board members in opposition could have voted down the first reading, effectively killing the proposal, a thought that crossed Goldberg’s mind.

With the approval of the first reading, the board will take up the policy for a second reading at its next meeting. The policy could then be approved at the following meeting, which is unlikely given the early opposition.

“It’s just such a trying time right now that it’s not a good time to pass a policy like this,” Luna said.

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