美国国家公共电台 NPR--Maine makes free school lunches permanent after federal funding ends

Maine makes free school lunches permanent after federal funding ends

Transcript¹

Free school meals will continue for students in Maine as federal funding for the pandemic-era program ends. The state says removing barriers means more kids who would otherwise go without are fed.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

When the pandemic upended America's schools in 2020, the federal government made school meals free for every child. Those free meals are ending this fall. But a few states, including Maine, have decided² to make those free meals permanent. Maine Public Radio's Robbie Feinberg visited one lunchroom to check in on the change.

JEANNE REILLY: Let's try this, see what happens.

ROBBIE FEINBERG, BYLINE³: Inside the cafeteria at Windham High School in southern Maine, workers slice green onions and whisk together sauces as part of a training to get ready for the upcoming school year. The district prides itself on its deviations⁴ from traditional school lunch fare. Today, they're making poke⁵ bowls using fresh fish.

REILLY: Ooh, that's good with the lime. Yeah.

FEINBERG: Director Jeanne Reilly says it's always been a busy operation here, getting food to a district with more than 3,000 kids. But she says that operation went into overdrive when the pandemic hit and they started delivering meals to families across the district. Even as kids have returned to their classrooms, the work hasn't stopped.

REILLY: We are so busy. And the volume of food that we're going through is just unbelievable. You know, just we're always, you know, running out, not being able to fully⁶ anticipate how many meals we're going to serve because we've never been able to offer meals for free.

FEINBERG: Despite the extra work, Reilly says she's thrilled with the results so far. During the last school year, the district served around 45% more meals than it did before the pandemic. Schools across the state say they've also seen a lot more kids getting school meals, helping⁷ to erode⁸ the perception that the meals are only for low-income students. And Windham High School teacher Elizabeth Moran says if a kid is irritable⁹ or acting¹⁰ up in class, she'll often tell them to go get a free breakfast. When they come back, she says, they're calmer and more focused.

ELIZABETH MORAN: It lets them take a walk. They get to clear their head. They get something in their bellies¹¹. It's all good.

JUSTIN STRASBURGER: Once the pandemic hit and these waivers came out, I think it just thrust to the forefront just how important these meals are, how many kids and families rely on these meals.

FEINBERG: Justin Strasburger, with the nonprofit Full Plates Full Potential, says the last few years have made it clear that meals are as essential as buses or books in a state where 1 in 5 children is food insecure. That experience, he says, was a big reason that Maine lawmakers ultimately voted to make free school meals permanent for every public school student at an estimated cost of around $34 million per year.

STRASBURGER: I think the political will was there in part because we were able to make the argument of, listen, we've been doing this for, you know, a year and a half, two years at this point. Why would we go back? It makes no sense to go back.

FEINBERG: Local officials say the law comes at a crucial time, with inflation pushing up food prices for many families. But schools are also still contending with bureaucratic¹² hurdles¹³. That's because the number of students who qualify for free and reduced price lunch is still a go-to measure used to determine everything from whether a school is eligible¹⁴ for certain grants to federal funding for extra programs and teachers in relatively¹⁵ low-income areas.

JANE MCLUCAS: So it could mean a teacher in a school, if you really want to put it that way.

FEINBERG: Jane McLucas, with the Maine Department of Education, says schools are working hard to ensure that all families still fill out the forms. Despite those hurdles, teachers and school officials say they're glad that school meals will still be free come fall. After seeing just how big of a difference this food can make, many can't imagine going back.

For NPR News, I'm Robbie Feinberg in Windham, Maine.

(SOUNDBITE OF BABY BRY BRY AND THE APOLOGISTS SONG, "IS IT ANYTHING OR IS IT EVERYTHING")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 deviations   

背离，偏离( deviation的名词复数 )； 离经叛道的行为

参考例句：

• Local deviations depend strongly on the local geometry of the solid matrix. 局部偏离严格地依赖于固体矩阵的局部几何形状。
• They were a series of tactical day-to-day deviations from White House policy. 它们是一系列策略上一天天摆脱白宫政策的偏向。

5 poke   

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

9 irritable   

adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的

参考例句：

• He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
• Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 bellies   

n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的

参考例句：

• They crawled along on their bellies. 他们匍匐前进。
• starving children with huge distended bellies 鼓着浮肿肚子的挨饿儿童

12 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。

13 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

14 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

15 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。