The total revenue to school districts from the contracts that were analyzed ranges from $12 to $24 per student annually. What parents don't realize, though, is that most of the money comes from their own pockets. That is, it comes from their teens plunking down money to buy soft drinks. Vendors, meanwhile, walk away with between $14 and $32 per kid per year in sales revenue...What we hear about, of course, are big cash advances and gifts such as scoreboards (which usually double as advertising for the vendors).The full story can be read here (link).On an annual basis, such "gifts" amount to paltry sums. Some even have to be paid back, if schools terminate their contracts early without delivering an agreed-upon number of soda sales. Typically, vendor "gifts" equate to $2 to $8 a year per student.
It is interesting to consider what issues the school board will decide on that will not be related to the health of the children.Forrest explained that, as president of the Oregon Soft Drink Association, he is expected to testify on legislation affecting the industry.
He said he would not do so again on any issues that touch on both the industry and schools.
"Now I realize I need to remove myself," he said, just as he would remove himself from any school board discussions pertaining to his company's contract or, in all likelihood, anything related to children's health.
The local branch of Stand for Children has sent a series of questions to Nadia, Aria Seligman and Eric Forest. Below are Nadia's responses.
1) Why do you want to serve on the school board?
Young people today face a climate of increasing instability, conflict and at the same time opportunity. This is as true in Eugene as it is anywhere. In a city fraught with difficult feelings and differing perceptions around race, class and other systems of privilege-children are far from immune from these issues. Regardless of how you feel about allegations of racial profiling by the police, about the so called eXit files of professionals of color who have left Eugene because of experiences of racial hostility, about the history of raids on and deportations from Latin American communities in the Eugene and Springfield area- it cannot be denied that these adult matters affect the way that all children grow up in this area. From the recent beating of the Russian immigrant boy in a self-declared "Racism Free Zone" local school, to the growing disparity of access to resources and alleged system of effective segregation the children in this school district are affected by issues of race and class every day, no matter what their personal backgrounds are.
All of the children need someone on the School Board who is trained to address these types of issues. I have that training, and years of experience working with adults and children who need communication to move towards healing the wounds of conflict. Issues of race, class, and struggle to access quality resources are key issues in this election and in educational institutions around the country. They cannot be ignored; they must be engaged with head on, with as much knowledge, skill and priority as we can muster.
2) What qualities do you bring to the school board?
Cultural Competency: I support State Sen. Avel Gordly's bill to extend Cultural Competency training requirement beyond areas such as Eugene and into all schools around the state. Support for measures such as this is key to making schools as effective and inclusive as possible. Cultural competency is especially attractive because it emphasizes knowledge about how all students experience their own lives; it is not ideological prescription for any particular course of action. Cultural competency and years of experience facilitating dialogue across lines of cultural difference are key strengths I can bring the board.
a. We need to increase the number of languages immersion schools. Open and fair lotteries for all children, regardless of their background, ethnicity, class, and other systems of privilege.
b. Teaching languages of the immigrants will give the children a sense of pride, sense of belonging, and build their self steam. It will help the other children to value, respect and understand other cultures and nationalities. Have a heritage day to celebrate the children culture and ethnicity.
By doing this. It will help bridge the gap, of understanding and value other cultures and races.
c. Invite the children to tell stories of their own culture and background. Let the children teach us what they need us to know about them..
4) What is your position on the Superintendent's recommendations on school choice?
5) How should the district address the needs of an increasingly diverse population?
We need to encourage merging the alternative schools into our neighborhood schools. Support and promote neighborhood schools by adding languages and open lotteries for all students. Taking informed steps to maximize inclusiveness is key.
7) What would you do to improve school nutrition?
Having nutritional food; such as fruit, juices, nuts, etc
sold in the vending machines would be helpful. We also need to add some ethnic food to cater to our immigrants students' diet and nutrition value. Diet is key to many cultures around the world, and if a student's otherwise strict diet is disrupted at school, then that school will not be the best place for the student to learn.
"The Oregon School Boards Association recommends a carryover, or ending fund balance, of about 5 percent to 8 percent. But only 21 of Oregon's 197 school districts hit that target. The rest carried over balances ranging from 9 percent to 275 percent at the end of last school year."
"Eric Forrest, an executive with a Eugene-based soft drink distributor, argued that it's actually beneficial for students to pass by vending machines in their schools that offer a variety of soft drinks for sale; this way, they learn to choose when it's appropriate to have a sugary soft drink and when they would be better off purchasing water or a sports drink, said Forrest, vice president of the MLF Group, a Pepsi distribution business. Forrest also is a member of the Eugene School Board."
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