[Hoot Gibson]

If the $1.50 was all that was charged to parent, isn't that the difference that is being made up? Someone was already paying the rest of the cost, right?

That is true but what I am pointing out is that there are almost always hidden costs that these mandated federal programs do not cover. Somebody will almost certainly be required to administer the program at the state level and either somebody's work load will increase at the district level, or additional staff will be required to administer the program.

There is no justification to take money from taxpayers who are fully capable of paying for their own children's lunches, sending it to Washington through a few bureaucrats' hands, back through a few hands in Frankfort, and then back to the districts. The main objective of creating this kind of program at the federal level is to create federal and state jobs in education. It is an inefficient way to address a real problem.