DOE Tells Schools To Reject Federal Funding For Local Food That It Helped Apply For

May 9, 2023 (Civil Beat) The Department of Education is telling schools not to apply for a slice of $500,000 in federal funding that would help them buy local food – an initiative the DOE helped apply for.

Hawaiʻi’s complex area superintendents received an email on Wednesday warning them that if their schools signed on to the program they would become “out of compliance” with the DOE’s School Food Services Branch.

...

Hawaii Ulu Cooperative co-founder and general manager Dana Shapiro says the DOE U-turn is a disappointment for suppliers who were already anticipating orders.

“We hope they will find a way to engage, so that local farmers and kids can benefit from a program which already has funding,” Shapiro said in an interview.

Read the full article on: Civil Beat