The Oct. 23 article “District Pleads Case” outlines concerns of the Fayetteville School District over potential loss of $1.2 million in National School Lunch Program money.
An outline of the spending is presented by reporter Rose Ann Pearce. It appears to buy a lot, especially in terms of improving educationaloutcomes, and especially among those students drawn from lower-income families.
Even in a big, relatively well-funded district like Fayetteville’s, potential loss of $1.2 million, gets everyone’s - or maybe most everyone’s - attention.
State Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, D-Fayetteville, discussed the problem with a group of 45Fayetteville educators and members of the school board. According to the article, “Reps.
Greg Leding and David Whitaker, both Democrats, also participated in the discussion. Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, was unable to attend.”
Rep. Collins may have had a very good reason for not attending the meeting.
But he may want to publicly clarify his positionon this potential funding loss that will directly impact, in a negative way, many of the most vulnerable families in his district.
Readers may remember that Rep. Collins’ signal achievement in the Arkansas Legislature was a bill that allows more guns onto college campuses.
JOSEPH C. NEAL
Fayetteville
Opinion, Pages 5 on 10/26/2013