On a tour of the Belmont High School Food Services Department on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark met with Belmont High students and staff, as well as state Rep. David Rogers and members from the School Committee and Select Board. Over fresh strawberry smoothies, locally-sourced fish, and handmade spinach and feta calzones, attendees discussed a range of topics, including the school’s nutrition program, implications of federal funding cuts, and ways students and local leaders can stay politically engaged.
The visit was inspired by previous conversations between Clark and Jacqueline Morgan, the director of food services at Belmont High School, on the impact of federal funding cuts to the school’s nutrition program. Specifically, on March 7, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) terminated the Northeast Local Food for Schools grant, which was expected to provide $45,000 to Belmont Schools to source healthy, local ingredients for school meals.
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Clark said her office was concerned to hear about the cut and the impact on the Belmont schools.
“It has just been an amazing program that they have used to work with local farmers throughout Massachusetts and bring high-quality food for their students,” she said.
Clark said she will continue to push for the grant funding to be reinstated at the federal level.
“I still do hope and believe that we will get this funding back,” said Morgan. “It’s so important for our farmers, and it’s such a great program from farm to school, with no waste.”
Students, too, shared their concerns about federal funding cuts and shared the ways they are politically engaged—including contacting their elected representatives, helping organize forums for students to hear from candidates, and encouraging their age-eligible peers to vote.
“I think they really understand their role in activism and in meeting this moment,” Clark said.
For Morgan, the highlight of the visit was watching the students interact with Clark.
“Their questions were spectacular, [and] the way they paid attention to her answers and her thoughts was incredible,” she said.
The students talked about how they are starting to see the direct impact of federal policies on their lives.
“That is really sparking political engagement and discussion at a level that they had not seen prior to the election,” said Clark, speaking to The Voice after the luncheon.
Members of the School Committee and Select Board were also in attendance.
“We were so fortunate to be joined by School Committee members, by Select Board members,” Clark said. “And it is really where the energy is going to come from, and I think that local government in Belmont has such an opportunity to really help make that connection between good government programs and serving the needs of the community.”
Morgan said she foresees continued collaboration between Rep. Clark and Belmont Schools.
“She has been a huge advocate for the Belmont public schools [and] the Belmont school nutrition program,” she said.
