Senator Specter Urges Obama to Extend Philadelphia School District Universal Feeding Program

Washington, D.C. -- May 24, 2009 -- Today, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) wrote President Barack Obama urging him to clarify the decision made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to terminate the Philadelphia School District’s Universal Feeding pilot program.

“While I appreciate the administration’s offers of assistance to the Philadelphia School District as it transitions out of the pilot program, the unacceptable result of the transition to paper applications will be children missing meals,” Senator Specter wrote. “If your administration does, in fact, intend to end the program this school year, I would appreciate a clear statement to that effect, so that I and others can introduce immediate legislation to extend the program.”

On Thursday, May 14th Senator Specter, along with Senator Bob Casey and other members of the Pennsylvania delegation, met with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to urge him to reverse the decision to terminate the program which serves 120,000 school children in the Philadelphia-area. The District began the Universal Feeding Program in 1991, in cooperation with the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service, which created a more streamlined alternative for counting and claiming free or reduced-price meals and didn’t require parents and students to fill out burdensome application forms. Approximately 72% of all Philadelphia children in public schools have access to nutritious meals through this program.

Full text of the letter follows:

The President
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. President:

I write to you today regarding the Department of Agriculture’s reported decision to end the Philadelphia School District’s Universal Feeding Program. This program is vital to ensuring that 120,000 students in underserved schools receive free meals without having to fill out paper applications.

While I appreciate the administration’s offers of assistance to the Philadelphia School District as it transitions out of the pilot program, the unacceptable result of the transition to paper applications will be children missing meals.

Changes may be necessary to the Philadelphia School District's Universal Feeding program, but the time to debate and consider such changes is during the planned Child Nutrition Act reauthorization, which the Congress is expected to take up later this year. I urge you extend this program in its current form through the 2010 school year, or until the Child Nutrition Act can be reauthorized and implemented.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, on which I sit, will soon move forward on the Department of Agriculture’s Fiscal Year 2010 appropriation. If your administration does, in fact, intend to end the program this school year, I would appreciate a clear statement to that effect, so that I and others can introduce immediate legislation to extend the program.

Thank you for your attention to this matter which is tremendously important to ensuring that Philadelphia School District children receive proper nutrition which is vital to educational success.

I am writing to you on Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend so that the Pennsylvania delegation can know what action to take. From extensive discussions, I am sure that Senator Casey and the other members of the delegation will join in this effort.

Sincerely,

Arlen Specter

Source: Senator Arlen Specter