For Immediate Release: November 1, 2019
Contact: Ted Fisher, ted.fisher@vermont.gov, (802) 828-0046
MONTPELIER, Vt. – Today, Vermont Secretary of Education Dan French released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Proposed SNAP Rule Changes:
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed rule change on the federal SNAP/TANF programs will have a significantly negative impact on eligibility for free school meals in Vermont. Hardest hit will be school districts that have one or more schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, which allows all students in certain low income communities to access free school meals. This year, 56 Vermont schools are offering free meals to all children through the CEP. We expect to lose 44% of our CEP eligible schools over the next 4 years as a result of this rule change, while the rest will see their local costs increase sharply. If enacted, this rule change will harm many of our most vulnerable students and families, and greatly increase costs for many of our school districts and Vermont taxpayers as a whole.
I join Governor Scott, the Vermont Department for Children and Families, our congressional delegation, and many Vermonters across the state, in urging the federal government to not adopt this rule. On behalf of the Agency of Education, I have submitted an additional public comment to the USDA in opposition to this proposal.”