Health

Dept. Of Education Says It Will Run Out Of Lunch For Students By February; Asks Senate For $4.6 Million

ST. THOMAS -- The Department of Education said on Wednesday that it is quickly running out of money to purchase school lunches for students and would need an infusion of some $4.6 million dollars to get through the school year. That's according to Department of Education officials, who gave testimony during a Committee on Education and Workforce Development hearing at the Earl B. Ottley Legislative Hall here. Testimony specific to lack of funds for the lunch program was given by St. Thomas/St. John Insular Superintendent of School Dionne Wells-Hedrington, who started by stating that the program is currently in a crisis. "The Virgin Islands School Food Authority (SFA) is in crisis for fiscal year 2016," she began. "We are now in the second quarter of the fiscal year, and the St. Thomas-St. John District has depleted 86 percent of their budget; and the St. Croix District has depleted 61 percent of their budget." In fact, the urgency of the matter demands that an appropriation by the...