Last week, I published a widely-shared blog post in which I expressed dismay over the fact that Houston ISD is entering into a four-year, $8 million contract to bring Domino’s “Smart Slice” pizza to our schools. I was particularly upset to have learned that Betti Wiggins, the district’s nutrition services director, was behind the move: Wiggins has a national reputation as a progressive school food reformer and had expressly promised to rid our schools of just this sort of “carnival food.”
But rather than offering an angry rant, I wanted to express my concern while also giving readers an understanding of the various forces that push school districts in this direction. So I interviewed Wiggins before writing the post and did my very best to share her side of the story.
I do feel the resulting post was well-balanced, yet I still spent the entire weekend feeling pretty crappy about it. At first I thought it was because I’d publicly criticized someone I like and whom I’ve championed in the past. But as I said in the post, I believe it would have been a significant lapse in integrity to let my personal feelings get in the way of fair commentary.
Finally, late yesterday, I realized what was niggling at me. After the post outlined all the very real problems Wiggins faces, it ended with a loud thud:
Those are all real challenges, and I’m very sympathetic to them. In the end, though, I still regard the Domino’s move as a serious misstep . . . .
And between those two sentences, I missed an important opportunity.
Some of the challenges Wiggins faces are deeply entrenched, like insufficient funding from Congress. But other problems are more within our control. Specifically, every health-conscious Houston ISD parent who’s upset about the Domino’s contract can take two actions that will help Wiggins’s department become less dependent on the sale of “copycat” junk food like Smart Slice.
First, although Wiggins has only been here for 14 months, she’s already made a lot of positive changes, including installing a salad bar in every elementary school as of this fall. So be sure to check out your child’s cafeteria and, if your family isn’t already participating in the meal program, consider having your child eat school meals. Even just one or two days a week would generate more revenue that will further improve what’s served and sold in HISD’s cafeterias.
But more importantly, all Houston parents must act collectively to finally put an end to the rampant junk food fundraising that plagues our district. Because if our schools (particularly our high schools) remain awash in illegal pizza and other fast food, it puts tremendous pressure on Wiggins to offer the closest version of that junk food she can legally sell: i.e., products like Domino’s Smart Slice.
In other words, you have no right to tsk tsk over Smart Slice today and then take a volunteer shift at your high school’s Chick-Fil-A table tomorrow.
Normally, if I regret leaving something out of a published post, there’s not much I can do about it. But the Houston Chronicle had already asked on Friday for permission to share my Lunch Tray post, which gave me a rare “second bite at the apple.” So here’s how the original post concludes in the Chronicle‘s “Gray Matters” column, which is now online (the new text is highlighted):
If Congress were willing to adequately fund school food, no district would need to sell a la carte snacks to scrape by. And if HISD wasn’t in such a financial mess right now (and if the majority of our school board prioritized student nutrition, something that’s never been true for as long as I’ve lived here), the district could use its general fund to close the gap in Wiggins’s budget.
None of that is going to change any time soon, but there are still things Houston parents can do to support Wiggins’s efforts. If your child isn’t currently eating school meals, why not stop by the cafeteria this fall and see what’s new? You may be pleasantly surprised (most parents aren’t even aware that all elementary schools will now have a salad bar), and every time your child buys a school meal, the increased participation helps Wiggins improve school food that much more.
Just as importantly, when it’s time to raise money for your child’s school this coming year, don’t just lazily resort to selling junk food. Not only does junk food fundraising harm students’ health (and potentially violate state and federal regulations), it forces Wiggins to try to compete with that unhealthy food in the cafeteria through the sale of copycat products like Smart Slice.
Though I understand all the challenges Wiggins faces, I’m not going to lie: I’m still disappointed in her decision and hope she’ll wean her department’s budget off of Smart Slice sales long before the Domino’s contract expires.
But when I told Wiggins how I was going to come out on the issue in this post, she was only supportive. “I’m a big girl,” she told me, “and you have to do your job, just like I have to do mine.”
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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Bettina Elias Siegel
Mollie Van Lieu says
Bettina – Thank you for your posts and on-going passion. Although I didn’t fault you for the original write-up, this clarity helps highlight the root challenges that school foods service face, many times out of the control of directors. Your careful words prove how much of a champion you are for both kids and the professionals who serve them (I am also a big Betti Wiggins fan).
Just one note on the Smart Slice. Unless things have changed since a few years ago, I don’t believe the Smart Slice is available to consumers outside of schools, despite the pies being prepared at traditional Domino’s restaurants. While it doesn’t get away from the marketing piece – it would stand to be an improvement and potentially drive families to make healthier choices together.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Mollie – Thank you for these kind words. And I agree – it’s crazy that Domino’s doesn’t offer SS in its stores. Not only does this create the copycat problem discussed in the original post, it seems to me that, as you said, a lot of adults would love to have the healthier option. BTW, did you ever see this hilarious Stephen Colbert piece on Smart Slice — it makes your exact point!
Mollie Van Lieu says
Oh that’s right! I had totally forgotten about that bit – I definitely stole it from him. Don’t sue me if you’re reading this, Stephen. 🙂
MSB says
Thank you for adding that bit. I had some niggling feelings about your post and thought about how hard it is to make changes in my school just around afterschool snacks. Ms Wiggins has the whole stinkin food system and USDA to contend with. Being a skilled compromiser while holding on to the long game of change is for “big girls” like her.
bw1 says
These two statements are in conflict:
“if your family isn’t already participating in the meal program, consider having your child eat school meals. Even just one or two days a week would generate more revenue that will further improve what’s served and sold in HISD’s cafeterias.”
“She’s also succeeded in getting Community Eligibility Provision certification for the entire district, meaning meals are now free for all students, regardless of income level.”
You complain that the funding from local, (implied) state, and federal sources is inadequate. This means that they don’t cover the cost, and thus, the standard student meal is offered at a loss. Thus, al a carte sales subsidize the provision of standard student lunches. Increasing participation in a program that loses money is only going to increase the losses, requiring an even larger subsidy from even more al a carte sales. You’re shooting yourself in the foot here.