'No Brainer', Waukesha School Board Member Says Of Free Breakfast

WAUKESHA, WI — The Waukesha School District lost $325,000 in federal funding over the last 19 months by not providing free breakfast for eight schools, Darren Clark, assistant superintendent for business services, said during Monday's Finance and Facilities meeting.

The district's administration announced plans to survey parents from those eight schools: Meadowbrook Elementary Summit View elementary, Bethesda Elementary, Rose Glen Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Prairie Elementary, Randall STEM Elementary School and Saratoga STEM Middle School.

School board members, in August, reversed their June decision in a 5-4 vote to leave a federal free meals program in place during a special School of Education meeting.

The district faced national backlash over the board's decision to opt out of an extension of the Seamless Summer Option. Waukesha was the only district in the state to opt out of the federal meal program that provides free lunch and breakfast to all students without income requirements.

On Aug. 30, the school board voted to go back to the Seamless Summer Option.

"Prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the district has never offered breakfast at these locations in nearly two years," Clark said.

School board member Greg Deets said he considered it "insubordination" that the schools are not offering breakfast.

Clark felt the accusation of "insubordination" was unfair. He said there might have been confusion in August when approving the free meal program, explaining that a few board members may have thought they were continuing what was in place before the pandemic.

Joseph Como Jr., the board's president, said he also thought he was voting in August to return to "what we were doing the previous year," in terms of the lunch program.

Clark said 35.1 percent of students receive free or reduced meals.

"I think based on some of the confusion and everything that happened last summer, I think that's a pretty good outcome," Clark said, referring to the decision over the federal meal program.

Deets said he had conversations with many people who did not know their school could have offered free breakfast.

"One woman I talked with said she sent a $250 check to cover breakfast items for kids and here we could have offered it for free," Deets said.

Deets pointed out families at the eight schools have faced a lot of hardships.

"Teachers are supporting these kids with breakfast, parents are donating money," Deets said. "None of this has to be happening. This to me is a no-brainer."