Newspaper article and my response in the form of a letter to the editor

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Published 12/23/06 in http://www.theday.com <http://www.theday.com/>

Soda-Less Schools See Major Drop In Revenue

Ban Adds To Squeeze On Some Town Budgets

By <javascript:void(0);> Karin Crompton

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Published on 12/23/2006 in Region <http://www.theday.com/news/> » Region

News <http://www.theday.com/news/>

When it voted last spring to ban soda and sugary drinks from schools, the

state legislature characterized the move as one step toward combating

malnutrition and childhood obesity.

But in eliminating those drinks from vending machines and school stores, the

legislature also took away a money-maker. And halfway through the school

year, some districts are already reporting significant losses.

“It's affecting us big-time,” said Mahon, the athletic director at

East Lyme High School.

Mahon said he oversees about four machines from which the athletic

department gets a cut of the revenue. Last year, Mahon said, his net revenue

from the Coke and Pepsi machines was more than $20,000.

This year, the machines are stocked with water, 100 percent apple juice and

orange juice. Mahon said he has pulled in about $500 in total.

“That really has been part of the (athletic department's) budget,” Mahon

said of the beverage machines. “As budgets get tougher and tougher, we kind

of rely on other things. If we can't get sponsorships and other things, we

have to rely on soda.”

Mahon said he used the money for some equipment, particularly unexpected

items, and to send students to banquets and award dinners. Now he is asking

the schools superintendent, Smotas, to request money to make up the

difference in the school district's proposed budget.

“I know revenues are down,” Smotas said. “It's a law that I'm not sure

everybody understood the impact (of) when they voted on it at the state

legislature.”

In the region, East Lyme's scenario seems to be the extreme. Several other

schools are reporting machine revenue losses of about 50 percent or less,

compared to other years.

“It has affected our revenue, that's for sure,” said Fitch Senior High

School principal Bacewicz.

Candy has also been eliminated from the machines under the new law. Bacewicz

said the school's food services director, Cliff Still, changed the contents

of the food vending machines to include items that are “nutritionally OK for

us,” like baked rather than fried chips, that also bring in money.

“It's the only thing that has saved us from total decimation,” Bacewicz

said.

Soda machines were mostly operated by athletic departments, student

governments and PTOs, which would often set a timer that turned the machines

on after school.

“We used to have a student council machine in the cafeteria, with all sodas,

on a timer that didn't kick in until 2:30,” Still said. “That machine is

gone, and they're hurting.”

Still said he's noticed a drop because of the loss of Gatorade, the sports

drink, which was deemed too sugary: “I have water and 100-percent fruit

juices, and I'm hurting,” Still said.

He estimates that revenue is down $150 to $200 a day on the beverage

machines.

Schools are handling the loss of revenue in different ways.

Still said the Groton school district signed up for the state's “healthy

snacks initiative” reimbursement program, offered under the new law. The

program pays schools an extra 10 cents per meal served that complies both

with the federal School Lunch Program and state nutritional standards.

That reimbursement will “make up most of the difference,” he said.

Stonington food services director Tim Paquette said the elimination of

Snapple is one factor in a loss of about $100 a week in revenues at the high

school. He said the state reimbursement helps the district to recoup that

money.

Mahon, the East Lyme athletic director, said that students there are still

able to buy potato chips, chocolate and the like. East Lyme has not opted to

join the reimbursement program. The district doesn't serve a high percentage

of free or reduced-price meals, which would qualify for the reimbursement.

In Waterford, where the cost of yearbooks and some events will go up because

of the decrease in revenues, the new law has forced a business lesson upon

students. High school Principal Macrino said the athletic department

and senior class used to split the revenue from about four machines.

The high school also has a school store, which used to sell drinks and food

that this year are banned.

“We were very concerned at first,” Macrino said, “but some quick market

analysis occurred and they switched to selling water, and they changed the

format and are selling a number of spirit items like sweatshirts, T-shirts

and jackets.”

Macrino said he thinks the students are close to bringing in what they did

last year.

As for revenue from machines, Macrino said “we've had more car washes” and

an increase in student dues. The food and drink revenues had been used, in

part, to offset some of the expensive events throughout the year, he said.

While schools begin to measure the fiscal impact of the new law, the

ideological debate continues.

Paquette said he had already been making gradual changes to Stonington's

snack machines and meals and that he hasn't heard many complaints from

students — aside from the occasional request to make mozzarella sticks

available daily.

“The consensus is that the federal government will probably end up doing

this in all states eventually, so we have the chance to be a frontrunner,”

he said.

Heidi Buchholtz, food services director for the Montville public schools,

met Tuesday with high school students who want changes to the menu. They

discussed the economics of school lunches and the new state law, she said,

and came up with ideas for more interesting meals.

She doesn't control vending machines, Buchholtz said, but the elimination of

french fries alone is costing about $100 a month. The a la carte revenues

are down about $100 a day overall, but the price of a meal has gone up 25

cents. Buchholtz said she is still calculating the effects of the state

reimbursement and the increased meal price to get a bottom line.

Buchholtz, who is the regional representative for the School Nutrition

Association of Connecticut (SNACT), talks about portion sizes and healthy

choices and her enthusiasm at having a “progressive cook.” She hopes for

follow-up meetings to update the community on how the law is working.

Others remain skeptical, especially at the high school level.

Mahon, of East Lyme, said, “In my personal opinion, they are high school

students. As teachers, we are trying to get them to become more and more

responsible for their own actions. I believe drinking soda is a choice, and

a choice they can make responsibly at this point.”

k.crompton@...

My reply in “Letter to the Editor” format:

As a registered dietitian, I wanted to respond on the article " " Soda-Less

Schools See Major Drop In Revenue Ban Adds To Squeeze On Some Town Budgets "

By Karin Crompton. Ms. Crompton did a very good job in demonstrating why

money versus the well-being of our children always ends up being the desired

outcome in our schools.

Maintaining or gaining revenue through the selling of empty calorie, high

fat, nutrient sparse foods should not even in the picture when it comes to

the well being of our children. Yes, these are children, NOT adults. That

being said these children are in a place of learning to educate them so that

they can make more appropriate choices when they BECOME adults.

Mahon, the athletic director at East Lyme High School spoke ignorantly when

he stated, “In my personal opinion, they are high school students. As

teachers, we are trying to get them to become more and more responsible for

their own actions. I believe drinking soda is a choice, and a choice they

can make responsibly at this point.” Mahon does not have to provide medical

care to the adults who are suffering from obesity related diseases.

Apparently, he has not read recent studies indicating that Type II Diabetes

Mellitus, which previously was only seen in adults who were primarily

overweight, is now a more frequent occurrence in the adolescent population.

The primary cause of this increase is due to obesity in the adolescent

population. Schools, as part of our society, must educate our children NOT

make money regarding nutritionally balanced choices. Making money should

not be a priority, but sadly, it continues to be just that.

Waterford High school Principal Macrino stepped up to the task in

creating learning opportunities for the students. The development of

alternate methods for maintaining or gaining revenue for the town introduced

more the world of business and finance to the students. I give Principal

Macino kudos for turning a situation where changes had to occur into a win:

win situation. The schools have reduced the inappropriate even detrimental

foods availability to improved food availability while creating alternate

methods of fund raising for the schools.

As a previous employee of a local school system, I was very frustrated how

good nutritional choices continue to the back seat to making money. I have

worked with Heidi Buchholtz, food services director for the Montville public

schools and I applaud her efforts. She is working diligently to make a

difficult situation of less than optimal funding of school nutrition from

the state into a nutritionally improved outcome for our students. Educators

must look past their own agendas of using the school lunch program as

revenue generators to creating a positive nutrition environment for our

children - who are NOT adults and still learning how to make improved

nutritional choices. Mahon comments about " children " making their own

nutritional choices is nothing more than short sided. He demonstrated his

ignorance of reaping the benefits of lining the school's pockets through the

ill gains of revenue gotten by contributing to the epidemic of obesity in

our country. His personal agenda will be the ill fated contributions to

decades of obesity related medical conditions The contrast of Macino to

Mahon definitely illustrates who is the educator and just who is trying to

take the easy way out and doing little or no education.

Respectfully,

Carol S. Casey, BSc, RD, CDN

Registered Dietitian, The American Dietetic Association

Certified Dietitian/Nutritionist, State of Connecticut

Owner - LedgeLight Nutritional Services

378 Meridian Street Ext

Unit 23

Groton, CT 06340-4142

(860)445-1648 - home

(860)514-1432 - cell

Carol S. Casey, BSc, RD, CDN

(Gaelic translation: Caral Siobhán ÓCathasaigh)

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