State hopes to boost school breakfast program
The Times Argus reports that this fall, "Vermont will become the fourth state in the nation to add funding that will allow low-income students to have free breakfasts." Indeed earlier this year, lawmakers added a provision to the state's education budget to pay for each family's share of the reduced-price breakfast program – about 30 cents per meal. This 30 cents is supplemented by the federal government's $1.05 per meal share. During the 2006-2007, "about 21,250 students in Vermont qualified for free meals." This year, that number grew to 21,954, and starting next year, "the state expects to offer 613,338 [free] breakfasts annually."
