"No. V.I. Child Goes Hungry" Feeding Initiative Resumes January 13
"No. V.I. Child Goes Hungry" Feeding Initiative Resumes January 13
The Virgin Islands Department of Education will operate its “No V.I. Child Goes Hungry” Feeding Initiative from Jan.13-21, as the Department continues to provide nutritious meals to students during virtual learning.
Parents may pick up breakfast and lunch at the school closest to their homes between the hours of 9:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m., while supplies last. Meals will only be distributed from designated schools; community distribution sites will no longer operate.
There will be no meal distribution on the Jan. 17 Martin Luther King Day holiday.
When students return to in-person learning on Jan. 24, they will receive daily meals at their respective schools, as part of the traditional School Lunch Program. Students enrolled in the Virgin Islands Virtual Academy may pick up meals at the school with which they are associated.
January 13-21, 2022 Meal Distribution Sites
ST. CROIX DISTRICT
- Juanita Gardine K-8 School
- Eulalie R. Rivera K-8 School
- Ricardo Richards Elementary School
- Lew Muckle Elementary School
- Alfredo Andrews Elementary School
- John H. Woodson Jr. High School
- St. Croix Central High School
- St. Croix Educational Complex High School
- Arthur A. Richards K-8 School (modular campus)
- Claude O. Markoe Elementary School
ST. THOMAS-ST. JOHN DISTRICT
- Ulla F. Muller Elementary School
- Jane E. Tuitt Elementary School
- Joseph Sibilly Elementary School
- Charlotte Amalie High School
- Lockhart/Cancryn School
- Yvonne Milliner-Bowsky Elementary School
- Joseph Gomez Elementary School
- Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School
- Ivanna Eudora Kean High School
- Julius E. Sprauve School
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VIDE to Compensate School Lunch Workers Up to $2,000 through American Rescue Plan for Work Performed During Pande
VIDE to Compensate School Lunch Workers Up to $2,000 through American Rescue Plan for Work Performed During Pandemic
VIDE plan supersedes local legislation by Senator Sarauw calling for $1,000 in pandemic compensation to school lunch workers
ST. THOMAS, USVI – The Virgin Islands Department of Education, in partnership with the Office of the Governor and the Office of Management and Budget, will compensate school lunch workers up to $2,000 with federal funds received through the American Rescue Plan for work performed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The one-time payments are being processed and are on schedule to be released to employees by Jan. 31.
The Department’s plan was already in place and supersedes local funding later made available through Bill No. 34-0082 (Act 8473) that called for only $1,000 in compensation to school lunch workers. Senator Sarauw was made aware, via testimony submitted to the Finance Committee for a hearing scheduled for Sept. 21, 2021, that the Bryan-Roach Administration had plans underway to provide school lunch workers with a much more robust compensation package. As part of the Administration’s plan, school lunch workers will receive compensation between $1,250 to $2,000, depending on their specific job title.
“The Department was able to achieve this with federal funds, made available for this purpose, to compensate school lunch workers who kept the Department running at the height of the pandemic,” said Commissioner Racquel Berry-Benjamin. “Our school lunch workers who prepared nutritious meals for students are deserving of this compensation.”
Berry-Benjamin further pointed out that it was more financially prudent to tap into the large reserve of federal funds, rather than to draw from the GVI’s general fund.
“We have access to significant amounts of federal dollars in order to recover from the pandemic, so it made better sense for us to use these funds and increase the dollar amount to employees, rather than use our limited local funds,” she said. “We appreciate the efforts of the senator and will seek to reprogram the general fund for other purposes.”
The Bryan-Roach Administration is investing in the Territory’s people, infrastructure, and future through transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government, and ensuring that recovery projects are completed as quickly as possible. Visit www.transparency.vi.gov.
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