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Snackless Tennessee schools hungry for funds

By: Kelli Gauthier
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PDF: Child Nutrition - HCDE

In tough economic times, Soddy-Daisy Middle School finds itself in a bit of a budget crunch. Funds fizzled, administrators said, after soda was yanked from the building.

Two years ago, vending machines filled with carbonated drinks and snacks were pulled from many public schools across the state, replaced in most cases with water, sports drinks and snacks that, technically, should be available only after school.

The state-imposed move toward low-calorie offerings was meant to make students healthier. But school administrators say the Dasani bottles aren’t flying off the shelves like the Cokes used to, leaving revenues flat.

“Not having the Coke machines really hurts,” said Soddy-Daisy Principal Robert Jenkins. “Sure, we make some kids avoid a 120-calorie Coke, but boy, we sure could use some copy money.”

Vending-machine sales often pay for the cost of classroom copies and office supplies, teachers say, but with a decrease in revenue, many are having to dip into their own pockets to make up the difference.

It’s easy for teachers at Soddy-Daisy to rack up more than 1 million copies in a year, Mr. Jenkins said. During preparation for Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program tests alone, they use 34,000 copies, he said.

Soddy-Daisy used to make about $20,000 each year from vending-machine sales, Mr. Jenkins said, but it now struggles to make $1,000.

“Maybe (students) are a little more conscious of drinking water, but I’m sure they still get a Coke when they go home,” Mr. Jenkins said. “Instead, maybe we could sell them some Cokes and then put them (students) out somewhere and run the daylights out of them.”

The Tennessee vending law applies only to elementary and middle schools, but the pinch tends to hit middle schools the hardest, educators said. Younger students in grades K-5 typically don’t have spare change or allowance money to spend on snacks and drinks, they said.

Across the school district, stricter vending machine laws have made a dent in extra revenue since schools can no longer sell certain items, said Carolyn Childs director of school nutrition for Hamilton County.

“It’s made an impact,” she said.

Staff Photo by Dan Henry -- Soddy-Daisy Middle School eighth-grader Daniel Torres passes the school’s only vending machine while on his way to lunch Friday morning.

At Hunter Middle School, Principal Gary Keuhn said sales dropped at least 80 percent the first year soda and food machines were gone.

“It’s picked up a little this year,” he said, “but nothing like we used to have.”

Darla Freeman teaches sixth-grade language arts at Soddy-Daisy Middle and said the reduction in copy money has put a cramp in her teaching style. She now is limited to making 500 copies every nine weeks and after that the funds come from her own classroom account.

“If you’re doing something with a magazine article, every child needs a copy,” she said. “When you teach 85 to 110 students a day, that adds up.”

Mrs. Freeman said she now has to think carefully about how much money she spends on markers, books and ink cartridges, because she knows she must have those copies.

“I end up spending a lot of money out of my own pocket,” she said. “I wish there was another way to generate those funds.”

At East Ridge Middle School, students have become “quite devious” about sneaking sodas from the faculty vending machines, said bookkeeper Nelda Welch. Still, revenue from the faculty machine and the student accessible water-only version is down several hundred dollars a month, she said.

“Our Coke revenue is lower,” she said. “But I’m just as happy seeing the kids without caffeine and sugar.”

Overall, schools have become healthier places for students since 2001, says a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study examined areas such as cafeteria food and physical education and found there still is room for improvement.

An estimated 19 to 30 percent of school students in Tennessee are overweight, according to Walking Works for Schools, a BlueCross BlueShield program aimed at making state schools healthier. Nearly 30 percent of Tennessee adults also are overweight, according to the CDC.

It may be a while until the vending-machine changes have a visible positive effect on student health, Ms. Childs said, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort.

“It’s a cultural change that’s not going to happen today or tomorrow,” she said.

Freia Meldorf, an eighth grader at Soddy-Daisy, watched the transition at her school from regular sodas, to diet drinks to water only.

“This year, when they changed to all water, I was bummed,” she said. “The way I see it, Cokes are OK as long as you’re not going to drink them one after another, all day long.”

Erin Schwab, also in eighth grade at Soddy-Daisy, said she doesn’t see the healthier drinks holding much appeal to her classmates.

“There’s really no one buying water,” she said.

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