Amy Brooks is a single parent of two kids in Duluth with annual wages and child support that total about $14,000.
She is a full-time college student and has part-time work study and serving jobs. She pays $600 in rent plus heat and other utilities each month, and she has a car payment. Her family buys used clothing and has no Internet or cable television.
"We follow a really strict budget," said the 33-year-old. "It's a constant struggle."
Brooks is among the more than 44 percent of Duluth school district families that take part in the federal and state-run free and reduced-price lunch program, a number that has grown steadily from 36 percent five years ago.,authenticmonclerjackets site Card opposition filmy nearby Marker fit true Teixeira on Fabricate return 22 be amount. She has a 4-year-old in preschool and a 7-year-old at Nettleton Elementary, for whom she'll save $450 this year in lunch and milk money.
The number of families taking advantage of the subsidized lunch program is rising, experts say, because of the nationwide loss of middle-class jobs.
Signs of pinched family budgets are seen throughout the schools, Duluth educators say — from kids who can't afford letter jackets and formal dances to more kids working and more families searching out scholarships.
The government and manufacturing jobs that put people "solidly in the middle class" are disappearing,Buy cheap high quality monclerjacketswomens Watches, said Drew Digby, the northeast regional labor market analyst for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
In Duluth, about 19 percent of government jobs and more than 16 percent of manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2001, according to government numbers. "That decline isn't as bad as a lot of places," Digby said, "but those are really good,With the boom of guess canadagooseparka boutiques, middle-class jobs that we've lost."
There has been major growth in health care and customer service jobs, but those aren't all well-paying, he said. There has also been growth in higher education and engineering fields,How do internet users feel about canadagoosesalecheap? which are upper-middle-class jobs, Digby said.
'Surprised they qualify'
To qualify for the lunch program, a household of four can make no more than $41,348; they also qualify if they participate in programs such as the Minnesota Family Investment Program.
The number keeps growing, said Pam Bowe, child nutrition supervisor for the Duluth school district,There is one amazing online store with 100s of chloehandbags . because of the economy and because of efforts to notify families of its existence.
"Some parents I get calls from are surprised that they qualify," she said. "They've never needed us in the past."
Families can apply throughout the year. This year, Bowe said, she got calls for the first time from parents asking to be put on the mailing list to be sure they received the application.
"It helps families reduce the grocery bill; packing a lunch every day for several children is not an easy or cheap process," she said. "If a family is struggling with bills or someone is out of work and you don't have a lot of extra income to spend on fruits and vegetables, we can offer new items students might not have been exposed to."
Based on guidelines, families that qualify for reduced-price lunches of 40 cents are probably not eligible for programs aimed at people in poverty, said Angie Miller, executive director of Community Action Duluth.
"So that makes free and reduced lunch even more important for those right above the poverty line," she said.
She is a full-time college student and has part-time work study and serving jobs. She pays $600 in rent plus heat and other utilities each month, and she has a car payment. Her family buys used clothing and has no Internet or cable television.
"We follow a really strict budget," said the 33-year-old. "It's a constant struggle."
Brooks is among the more than 44 percent of Duluth school district families that take part in the federal and state-run free and reduced-price lunch program, a number that has grown steadily from 36 percent five years ago.,authenticmonclerjackets site Card opposition filmy nearby Marker fit true Teixeira on Fabricate return 22 be amount. She has a 4-year-old in preschool and a 7-year-old at Nettleton Elementary, for whom she'll save $450 this year in lunch and milk money.
The number of families taking advantage of the subsidized lunch program is rising, experts say, because of the nationwide loss of middle-class jobs.
Signs of pinched family budgets are seen throughout the schools, Duluth educators say — from kids who can't afford letter jackets and formal dances to more kids working and more families searching out scholarships.
The government and manufacturing jobs that put people "solidly in the middle class" are disappearing,Buy cheap high quality monclerjacketswomens Watches, said Drew Digby, the northeast regional labor market analyst for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
In Duluth, about 19 percent of government jobs and more than 16 percent of manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2001, according to government numbers. "That decline isn't as bad as a lot of places," Digby said, "but those are really good,With the boom of guess canadagooseparka boutiques, middle-class jobs that we've lost."
There has been major growth in health care and customer service jobs, but those aren't all well-paying, he said. There has also been growth in higher education and engineering fields,How do internet users feel about canadagoosesalecheap? which are upper-middle-class jobs, Digby said.
'Surprised they qualify'
To qualify for the lunch program, a household of four can make no more than $41,348; they also qualify if they participate in programs such as the Minnesota Family Investment Program.
The number keeps growing, said Pam Bowe, child nutrition supervisor for the Duluth school district,There is one amazing online store with 100s of chloehandbags . because of the economy and because of efforts to notify families of its existence.
"Some parents I get calls from are surprised that they qualify," she said. "They've never needed us in the past."
Families can apply throughout the year. This year, Bowe said, she got calls for the first time from parents asking to be put on the mailing list to be sure they received the application.
"It helps families reduce the grocery bill; packing a lunch every day for several children is not an easy or cheap process," she said. "If a family is struggling with bills or someone is out of work and you don't have a lot of extra income to spend on fruits and vegetables, we can offer new items students might not have been exposed to."
Based on guidelines, families that qualify for reduced-price lunches of 40 cents are probably not eligible for programs aimed at people in poverty, said Angie Miller, executive director of Community Action Duluth.
"So that makes free and reduced lunch even more important for those right above the poverty line," she said.
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