At the rural school district I last worked at, we had 1500 students, of whom 1,000 were free lunch and 500 were not. The cost of personnel (an entire department!), computers, and software for vetting students to make sure those 500 didn't get free lunch cost more than the cost of simply feeding them, already.
The GOP jihad about preventing those 500 from getting free lunch is not about taxes or expense, it's about being mean to children. #gop #antichild #school #lunch #meanness
@orman @badtux I don't know Badtux's district, but here are my guesses at the costs of maintaining such a program:
* employee time and administrative expenses determining student eligibility for free lunch
* employee time and administrative expenses monitoring whether students have paid
* employee time seeking unpaid lunch money, pursuing further consequences if those remain unpaid, and allowing appeals from students/parents
* one or more of the following if nonpayment becomes an issue: lost employee time due to random interpersonal drama, student discipline/counseling issues, dispute resolution needs, legal expenses (not to mention disruption of the student's education)
Depending on how much the lunches cost, this might or might not be worth it.
Badtux the Snarky Penguin
Orman
Reed Lindwurm