Thank you. We have written comments and support from Chris Coughfield, Jordan Smith testifying for Hawaii Hunger Action Network, Cheryl Lee, Michael Walker, and Hunter. members questions for any of the testifiers department. So Kurt, what's the estimated cost of this program to the schools and what is the level of income that will bring it into it's not? Yeah, thank thanks for the question. Um today it's 125 million today uh the cost of food operation and that's feeding approximately only half of the student base. Um we also have challenges when we do collect. Um prior to the pandemic um non-colctions was about 73,000 um and then of course the pandemic hit so the numbers went down to 33,000 and 23,000 in those two years. it is back up to 93,000 and that's only about little under six months that for the rest of the half of the year.
So we know that in addition to that um Senator Kim there are people that are that pay that can't pay. Um, so this this bill, while it's great because it's going to identify the gap, needs a lot of analysis because that could be another 80 84,000 students um that are not getting a meal from the DOE today. Um, we know that it was very popular during the pandemic with the federal aid meals for free. So, we knew that people took advantage of that, but there's a financial impact to this and there's also a capacity issue to this. Um, and so while the department is wholeheartedly in support of feeding all of our children nutritiously, I think we're going to need to do a lot more homework financially to give you that number. I'm not saying it's another 100 million, but if you just do straight math, if I'm feeding half of the students today and it's costing us 125 million, it's going to be that number cost the state will be probably close to that.
Again, um, this bill doesn't call for everybody though, right? The bill some limitations or built in that the supposed to come up. There's a there's a determination of a gap on what that income is. Yeah. And and so that's what needs to be determined. It's not it doesn't specify, right? And so where do we draw the line for those that qualify because of income? Where do we draw the line on that next increment up? because we already know that those that do don't qualify for any subsidies are cannot pay as well. So that that's what I mean. It's a it's a number we can calculate. It's a matter of where we're going to draw that line and we're not prepared to do that. 5% pretty much I don't know what that 5% is and what that entails. Um, so the cost of the school month is that that's a subsidized amount.
That's the full amount, right? So if we're calculating what what it would cost to have breakfast and lunch when they're not in school would be higher than what if you had to school lunch would be a lot more. Yes, absolutely. What does it cost for a child to buy school lunch over and over? I think it's 2 250 per meal because it's subsidized, but most, you know, it's a it's a kind of unique situation. not all the kids eat. And when we went through the pandemic and all meals were free, we still served the same level, but it shifted to the more challenged, economically challenged communities. So, the housing areas. So we saw that shift, but you know the kids that can or the families that can economically afford it, they weren't, you know, they weren't coming to school and they weren't eating the lunch, but those that need it when we did grab and go and all that.
That's the shift we saw. But what Curtis, what we are trying to figure out is what is that shift going to look like and at what price point. So, of the 100,000 meals we feed today, 20,000 is for breakfast and the other 80,000 is for lunch. But where we want to go is the what what the science is telling us is if the kids eat breakfast, were better off. But they're challenged by coming on to school on time and rushing to their class and things like that. So, we're trying to figure that out. There's some dynamics that since I've come aboard, we've kind of looked at it very differently, right? How much of the lunches and breakfastes go into the waist? It It's not the entire lunch, but it's what's on that plate. Right. So, I went out to the Big Island uh at um one of the schools, elementary schools, and they were throwing away all the oranges.
So, I go look at the trash can obviously, see what we're dumping, but most of the fruit and vegetables were being done dumped. Now, there's two reasons for that. One is they don't know how to the mistake we were making those oranges have to be peeled. Those kids can't peel oranges. And this was a younger group of K to six and then vegetables they just dump it. So two ways we're going to address that is we got to look at the dressing is what it come for the for the salads. Maybe that's not what they like. So we've done a number of food testing. The oranges, we all slice them now, but we're trying to move to tangerines where the younger kids can peel it better. So, that's some of the dynamics we're working with. So, have you have you checked recently as to what have been thrown away?
Yes, it's about the same thing. Same thing, right? Milk thrown away. Uh milk, it's um so they have to take it. We have to offer they take and then some weren't drinking. So, on the other side of the counting table is we have an ice bucket that they can replace it. So, so that's that's okay. That that works for us. Just that we we spend so much on healthy meals and trying to provide fruits and vegetables and yet we provide it at a cost. Yes. And yet it gets thrown out. So, um I know growing up was poor. I didn't know how to eat fresh vegetable. My parents only fed me for vegetables. Of course, I didn't like vegetable. So, yeah, I I never I don't know any kind of nutritious certainty is going to change that. Yeah. It you know, and it's the federal standard.
We have to put that on the plate. So, for us to get the reimbursement and there's uh multigrain requirements, there's sugar requirements, there's salt requirements. What's the federal reimbursement? I'm sorry. What is the federal reimbursement? Um it's I got to get the exact number, but it's pretty pretty low. So, recently 20%. Yeah. Well, the total money we get is 45 million, but the per meal expense or reimbursement is rather low. That has just gone up a little bit. Um, our congressional team in uh DC fought for the same reimbursement that Alaska gets at the minimum. We were behind, we were way below the deck and you know, you know, our costs are higher recently. Some of the products that we offer have ra risen 42%. So if our if the schools are serving these meals and the students aren't eating them all or aren't eating the nutrition point, it just improves the testimonies from people to say how important it is for our child's learning that they have these nutritious meals but they're not eating it then.
Yeah. So the challenge we have is how to make it more appetizing and we're going through a lot of menu development uh and the variety. That's something we've done a number of different testing with different foods. We're looking to reintroduce salad bars which will help the local product. We use a lot of local beef. I'm telling you, no matter what they do, the kids will not eat certain things. They want hot dogs, they want pizza, they want burritos, pizzas, spaghetti is they don't want all this stuff. And at home, I wouldn't leave the table until they finish that stuff. But that's not how the game is played now. Well, I just sad that those food are being wasted. Yes. I I tell my team a successful food waste program is a failure in feeding our kids. So, we got to figure that out. It's a tough goal.
Thank you. Well, the president said he's really happy about that. the the the problem is that um at one time when um Michelle Obama's you know standard 18 whatever whatever didn't we have an opportunity as a state to op out of that program because we had a program that we already at the time the Bush and um breakin administration thought that we had a good nutritious uh um meals for our kids and then um all of a sudden we was doing slim fasts and exercising on the TV and everybody with apple. I worked at Campbell High School as a custodian and I told you this already ran and I did my own thing 55 g. You guys know how big that is, right? All fruits. I did this one one day, one free day. Next day was a salad. The container to put the salad container to put the dress is all on that plate.
And C high school had a little bit more with milk inside the pan than usual, but they gave him juice. So you milk, juice, salad, apple, and the entree. Some of that stuff can be substituted. So the juice maybe could fulfill some of the citrus requirements. You know that I had asked them that the lady them that was the lady that was selling the food and asked them why you guys making them take everything because the law the federal requirement but then it's throwing them away. You know what I mean? Hey members, we have 10 minutes and we have another agenda after this one. Jeez, I only talk one time. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry guys. So, so wait, but my question is I won't say I was done. I'm sorry. She was telling me I'm done. I thought it pretty clear. No, I love you. Um, so you said $125 million a day to serve.
Is that just lunch? No. No. Total operation on that school year. Per year. Okay. Per year. And that is that just for lunch or is that for breakfast? Home meals that we serve at home for 50% on students. That's you say breakfast or lunch? Breakfast and lunch. 45 million is the federal reimbursement. Okay. So, but are you guys allowed to do any um like you said the kids throw away vegetables, etc. You can't um use something else besides Yeah, that's a tough one. I mean, we taking stuff out of the rubbish cans and no serve. So, the other we've got, we've got, you know, what they don't like. Why you keep serving what they don't like? So, classic is Yeah. Classic is I go to schools and talk to the kids. Exactly what you said. They like pizza. They like spaghetti. When we were doing co when we had the problem with the red hill water, right?
So, we had to serve stuff that we didn't have to wash or minimum procure preparation and was pizza. They love pizza, but we got complaints from the parents. Please do not feed my kids pizza five days a week. But the other stuff, you got to prep, right? So, that's the tough part. It's a Yeah, it's a catch 22. You know what we unfortunately have to do a better job is food waste disposal and look at ways to recycle and work on that. That's what's going to be sad for the kids. The parents complain and vegetables. Pizza's good though. Yeah. My grandson says that. Okay. Uh the last bill on this agenda is Senate Bill 156 relating to board of education. requires the board of education to hold not less than six community forums annually with at least one community forum at each county. Requires the board to include an open forum for public comments on non-aggenda items.
Requires a report to the legislature on implementing open forums to testify. Eric B turn off the computers not present on Zoom. here. Cynthia Bartlett, Moms for Liberty. Yes. Thank you for the opportunity to um to testify today. Um I wanted to say that uh we're very grateful for that, but it indicates um a problem when we just have we already have six meetings on the board of education policy. So that's already taken care of. But adding um the open forum at the end is an excellent idea and we're very happy about that and we would we would hope that an open agenda could be added in all BOE meetings. But I'm concerned about the report at the end. The bill says there will be a report after all these community meetings. But um how does that relate to action? because for three years during COVID this six this requirement of six meetings a year was just ignored and we didn't uh we didn't have any notifications going out to the parents at large and we tried to meet with the BOE again and again and again and it took us a long time it asking for that first community meeting to start with again so we're wondering with that kind of attitude they sort of forget that parents are also stakeholders And so how does this report help everyone in the end?
That's just a comment I would like to find out about. Thank you for your testimony. Next to testify, Ryan Nicholas Luther. Thank you for waiting. I actually wanted to do a comment on 1518, but I know it was already going so long. So just uh yeah, I just wanted to say uh thank you chair, vice chair, members of the board for hearing for me today. Uh I strongly support SB 156 and I just wanted to state just a little bit more on that. I wrote a statement here over the past few years. I've been to numerous board meetings. I've definitely noticed how the times set by the board don't advocate for the ability for parents and guardians to make the meetings. Um that being said, the six community meetings that have been, you know, held, they were kind of pushed off because of COVID. So, I don't really know when those will be activated again, but I do know the times that are set are very difficult.
So, with these six meetings that we can maybe look into pushing them a little bit later in that day, you know, I know it's strainous that everyone works very hard, but that would really help for parents to be able to voice their opinion. Um and then also of course with the open forms uh the non-aggenda items is is a great thing because not the agendas on these meetings are always set already by the department or other individuals and that would be a great way to advocate for what the parents and guardians um intent is and what what their needs are for the education system. And then just lastly I would like to say that there's an a development of a legislation committee that is taking the legislation intent uh for what the the education department or department needs which is you know which is great.
Uh but I would also like to say that these open reports like the other testifier said uh it'd be great to see what an end result would be with those uh summaries that are done have been a lot of town hall meetings and whatnot and I do see just the strategic plan planning has a lot of the advocates and adding teachers into more of it and things like this but an end result would be great to kind of see in this bill. So, and just one more thing with HP 630 being denied, which was another thing that helped the parents. Uh, this is a very strong bill that would help to advocate for what the parents needs in our education system. Thank you again. Thank you. And there are um a number of comments uh from there's let's see from Billakei board of ed Cheryl Pakazard OIP and other um members we are going to move on right now.
Were there any questions? Let's move on to the we have to go out of this meeting. Can we go right into the next agenda? Okay. The next agenda has one it one item. Senate Bill 531 relating to education authorizes the school facilities authority to appoint authorizes the school facilities authority to appoint an executive director and evaluate their perform their performance annually. Okay, let's see. Do we have any testifiers? I don't have a list of testifiers. Are there any? Oh, okay. All right. So, we're going to recess. Convening the committee on education. Recommendation of the chair for Senate Bill 1518 is to pass with amendments reducing the page 8 section 5 to 50,000 instead of 100,000 for goods and services and the 250,000 reducing to 125,000 for construction questions. Okay. So 1518 to pass with amendments. Chair bai. Chair bai on bill 1518 with amendments. Vice chair votes with reservations.
Senator Kuha. Hi. Senator Richards with reservation. Senator Favlla. Hi. With five members present. Recommendations adopted. Thank you for Senate Bill 943. Recommendation of the chair is to pass as is relating to schoolbased health services. Chair side and Senate bill 94.3 as is. Vice chair. Is there any members voting with regulation? Any members voting in opposition hearing? None. Five members present. All voting in support. Recommendations adopted for Senate Bill 1044 relating to mental health. We're going to defer this to the 2023 education uh hearing 3 p.m. on February 15, 23. Senate Bill 10:45. Recommendation of the chair is to defer the bill. Senate Bill 154. Recommendation of the chair. This is relating to education and the school meal subsidy program. Recommendation is to pass Senate Bill 154 but defect the date to 712050. Sure. Yeah. Any members voting in opposition? Any members with reservations?
Hearing none of the Senate Bill 156 relating to the board of education. Same recommendation to pass as is but defect the date to 712050. Chair Bzai. Any members with voting with reservation? Any members voting opposition?