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Panel Discussion

Making School Breakfast Work: Superintendents and Principals Share Their Strategies

Moderator: Commissioner David P. Driscoll

Panelists:
David Crisafulli, Superintendent, Union 28 School Districts
Raymond Chestnut,Principal, Brockton Public Schools, Arnone Community School
Philip Fallon, Superintendent, Fitchburg Public Schools
Carol Tye, Superintendent, Revere Public Schools
Ann Southworth, Principal, Springfield Public Schools, Putnam Vocational Technical High School

Superintendent David Crisafulli - Union 28 School Districts

• Union 28 School Districts incorporate a total of 648 students in 5 schools, 2 of which have breakfast programs.
• Twenty-one percent of the district's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
• Superintendent Crisafulli has made a commitment to instituting the School Breakfast Program in his rural schools where many students arrive after traveling substantial distances.
• He demonstrated this commitment by personally writing the grant that has allowed school breakfast to be implemented in two of Union 28's schools.

Principal Raymond Chestnut - Brockton Public Schools - Arnone Community School

• Brockton Public Schools has a total of 15,765 students in 23 schools.
• Seven hundred students attend the Arnone Elementary School where 81 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
• Principal Chestnut has long recognized the importance of school breakfast to his academic goals.
• He attends school breakfast regularly to set an example for the students, promotes school breakfast to students and parents and works to involve the community.
• Principal Chestnut has recently instituted universal breakfast at the Arnone.

Superintendent Philip Fallon - Fitchburg Public Schools

• Fitchburg Public Schools has a total of 5,640 students in 9 schools, all of which have breakfast programs.
• 45 percent of the district's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
• Superintendent Fallon has made Fitchburg's School Breakfast Program a success by instituting universally free breakfast during the school day in all elementary classrooms.
• As a result of these changes, 98 percent of all elementary school students are participating in Fitchburg's School Breakfast Program.

Principal Joe Ruscio - Greenfield Public Schools - Newton Elementary School(Invited-Unable to attend due to school emergency)

• Greenfield Public Schools has a total of 2,433 students in 6 schools.
• 310 students attend the Newton Elementary School where
• 50 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
• Principal Ruscio has made school breakfast a priority and instituted a School Breakfast Program that runs both before school and twenty minutes into the school day to accommodate student needs and schedules.
• After the bell rings, students can now take bagged breakfasts to their classrooms to eat.

Superintendent Carol Tye - Revere Public Schools

• Revere Public Schools has a total of 5,680 students in 7 schools, all of which have breakfast programs.
• Forty-four percent of the district's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
• Superintendent Tye has made Revere's School Breakfast Program a magnet for students by ensuring that the food served at school breakfast tastes good and is attractively presented.
• Superintendent Tye has recently instituted universal breakfast in one school.

Principal Ann Southworth - Springfield Public Schools - Putnam Vocational Technical High School

• Springfield Public Schools has a total of 27,778 students in 47 schools.
• 1,422 students attend Putnam Vocational Technical High School where
• 70 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
• Principal Southworth has taken on the task of promoting school breakfast in a high school setting.
• In doing this, she works to educate school faculty, staff and students about the importance of school breakfast and encourages cooperation between teachers and cafeteria staff.

Panel Questions:

Question #1: "Why have you made School Breakfast a priority for your school?"

• Superintendent Fallon
• Superintendent Crisafulli
• Principal Chestnut

Question #2: "The School Breakfast Program is often seen as a program for "poor kids." Can you share any strategies you have found to be effective in dealing with the stigma associated with the School Breakfast Program?"

• Commissioner Driscoll
• Principal Southworth

Question #3: "School Breakfast Programs sometimes run into problems such as scheduling, time on learning concerns, buses getting to school on time and the quality of food. Can you share any ideas you have for dealing with any of these issues?"

• Superintendent Tye
• Superintendent Crisafulli

Question #4: "Teachers sometimes have concerns about School Breakfast Programs, including being afraid they will be asked to do extra work. Can you share any ideas or strategies you have for involving teachers proactively in school breakfast"

• Principal Southworth
• Principal Chestnut

Question #5: "Parents as well as the broader community often don't know about the importance or even the availability of the School Breakfast Program. Can you share any ideas or strategies you have used for educating parents and the community?"

Question #6: "How would you convince a peer to institute the kind of changes that you've made in your School Breakfast Program?"

Question #7: "Given your experience, what advice would you give about instituting the kind of changes that you've made in your School Breakfast Program?"