KPBSD hosts Sen. Murkowski!

KPBSD hosts Sen. Murkowksi - Visit 
Sen. Lisa Murkowski updates the KPBSD Board of Education and
administration during a work session Feb. 21.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, had much to chew on during a visit to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

Murkowski met with the KPBSD Board of Education and district administration in a work session prior to the regular board meeting Feb. 21, and provided an update on federal legislation pertaining to education, including reauthorization of federal Child Nutrition Programs. She and the board discussed the newly developed Performance-Based Reading Curriculum, the fiscal year 2012 federal budget as well as pending state legislation.

The next day, Sen. Murkowski was treated to an example of how federal dollars are put to use in the district by visiting the school lunch program at Ninilchik School. KPBSD's Student Nutrition Services school lunch and breakfast programs are supported in large part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the federal Child Nutrition Programs. USDA supports 33 million nutrient-appropriate school lunches and 11 million school breakfasts across the country each school day.

KPBSD hosts Sen. Murkowksi - SNS Staff 
From left, Student Nutrition Services Manager Barbara Lemont, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and SNS cashier and kitchen assistant Tammy Bear pose for a photo at Ninilchik School.



The federal school meals program, which Sen. Murkowski has supported, helps provide 900,000 school meals in KPBSD schools each year, said Dean Hamburg, administrator of KPBSD Student Nutrition Services.

"Combating hunger and meeting the need for appropriate, safe and nutrient-sound meals is a very real challenge all across the KPBSD," Hamburg said. "(SNS staff's) professional work, with support from leaders such as Sen. Murkowski, is key to overcoming the hunger and nutrient challenges among students through the 178-day KPBSD school year."

KPBSD hosts Sen. Murkowksi - Students 
Sen. Lisa Murkowski visits with students during lunch at Ninilchik School.