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those far right wing fanatics who keep harping on people "tightening
their belts" instead of expecting handouts from the government, my
question is this. What about the children?
With
the recession deepening and more and more people losing their jobs, the
number of children whose parents are struggling to provide food for
them has increased exponentially.
Sandy
Garrett, State Superintendent of schools stated yesterday, "It is a
tragedy that so many Oklahoma students live in poverty and that their
parents are struggling to provide food. Yet, if there is a silver
lining, it is the historic infusion of funds we will be receiving as
part of the federal stimulus."
The
number of students in the Oklahoma City School District who live in
poverty increased from 81% to a high of 88% last October according to
figures gathered and released last week.
The
statistics are based on those children who qualify for free or reduced
lunches, according to guidelines set by the federal government.
Guidelines vary based on income and number of children in the household.
Oklahoma
City District Superintendent Karl Springer stated:Â "A good number of
our children take food home with them on Friday in their backpacks."
Even
sadder--the Oklahoma City school district currently has about 1000
students who are homeless. Tulsa fared only slightly better, jumping
from 76.9% in '07 to 82.9% last year.
In
suburbs around the Metro, traditionally considered to be prosperous,
the numbers also climbed. Edmond jumped from 21.6% in 2007 to 22.9 in
2008; Moore climbed from 33.8% to 37.5 while Norman rose from 38.8% to
41.7%.
According to Garrett, the State Income Low Income Report and the census are the two best indicators of poverty in a state.
Statistics
gathered Oct. 1 of last year help determine how much federal Title I
money districts receive, Garrett said. The statistics also are the
basis for many federal grant programs and will play a role in how much
money districts will get from the federal government stimulus package.
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