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MHS has less participants for free lunch program • High school students embarrassed to be identified as ‘poor’
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Posted on Sep 03 1999
The Marianas High School may not be able to qualify for a federal government’s loan program this school year because it failed to reach the “poverty guideline” for eligibility.
To be eligible for the Qualified Zone Academy Bond, a public school must have at least 35 percent of its student participating in the free lunch program, which is the basis for poverty guideline.
According to Bill Matson, fiscal and federal program officer of the Public School System, the free lunch participation rate at MHS has decreased “because of embarrassment or other adolescent concerns regarding the students in high school being identified as poor.”
The actual participation number from MHS this school year is only 310 students out of 1,674, or only 18.5 percent, Matson said.
“Clearly this doesn’t not suggest that we could reasonably assume a 35 percent participation rate,” Matson said in a memo to Education Commissioner Rita Inos.
“We could reasonably expect that MHS numbers would at least as high if not higher given that perhaps some of the wealthier families would choose to have their children attend private high schools rather than MHS where the rest of the student population would have no choice,” Matson added.
The Qualified Zone Academy Bond program, which began last year, allows a qualified school to secure a free loan from any local bank.
Under this program, the school would only be bound to pay the principal amount, while the US government would underwrite the interest costs of the loan.
The loans can be used for the rehabilitation and repair of school facilities, provision of school equipment, development of course materials and training of teachers and other school personnel. (MCM)
