QUESTION
Will school lunch cuts be restored and how can budget limitations affect school meals in NYC?
2:13:10
·
74 sec
Council members discuss the impact of school lunch cuts and the challenges of meeting the diverse needs of students within budget constraints.
- Council Member Rita C. Joseph emphasizes the importance of restoring cuts to school lunch programs due to children's dependence on these meals.
- Superintendent Khalek Kirkland acknowledges the difficulty in catering to the tastes of almost a million students.
- Inequities in the quality and variety of school lunches across different schools are acknowledged.
- Budget cuts are highlighted as a barrier to improving the school meal program, including testing new foods with students.
Rita C. Joseph
2:13:10
So that's why my council member Shaker talked about the importance of us not cutting school lunch, that was cut earlier this year.
2:13:18
I'm hoping to see a restoration because the kids called me all the all the time.
2:13:21
Cheah, Joseph, they cut my school lunch.
2:13:23
They cut out the things they like.
Shekar Krishnan
2:13:25
Mhmm.
Rita C. Joseph
2:13:25
So I hope somebody go back, Emma, and Dan Mhmm.
2:13:28
And fix it.
Khalek Kirkland
2:13:29
I'm sure.
2:13:29
I'll definitely talk to them about that, but you gotta remember, your son what's your son's name again?
2:13:34
Him.
Rita C. Joseph
2:13:34
Yeah.
2:13:35
That's true.
2:13:35
Your son that you know
Khalek Kirkland
2:13:36
what your son loves your food.
2:13:38
So it's it's really hard to please every child.
2:13:42
We have, you know, almost a million children in school.
2:13:44
So to try to figure out what every child loves, you don't know what's gonna be
Rita C. Joseph
2:13:49
Yeah.
2:13:49
We know that.
2:13:50
But, again, some students, especially on New Yorkers, depend on those 2 meals.
2:13:54
Oh, definitely.
2:13:55
And they have to be delicious and nutritious.
2:13:57
I get complaints.
2:13:58
When I visit schools Mhmm.
2:14:00
Depending on where again there's inequities in school lunch Yep.
2:14:03
Yep.
2:14:04
Kids are like, councilmember, I love my lunch.
2:14:06
I'll visit other schools and my customer, but there there could be other areas.
2:14:09
So one of the things I know Chris and I'm gonna give him credit for that was doing was bringing the kids down to Long Island City to test stop the food.
Khalek Kirkland
2:14:15
Mhmm.
2:14:15
But
Rita C. Joseph
2:14:15
if we cut the budget, how they're gonna come down and test the food?
2:14:18
There's nothing to test.
2:14:19
Get my drift.
2:14:21
Alright.
2:14:22
So New York City Schools have lost.