r/Utah • u/helenolai • 1d ago
News New Utah license plate aims to clear $3.8 million in school lunch debt
https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/new-utah-license-plate-aims-to-clear-3-8-million-in-school-lunch-debt/article_ec897f9d-0fad-46c2-9fde-de36f5071800.html428
u/0ttr 1d ago
or they could just, you know, make it free. wouldn’t even put that big of a dent in the budget.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_REPO 1d ago
What are you, some kind of commie? /s
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u/ThisThredditor 1d ago
hey man, just because we did it during COVID and it wasn't a problem doesn't mean I care NOW
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_REPO 1d ago
Are those kids pulling their own weight? Contributing to society? As they say, there's no such thing as a free lunch. /s
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u/Crafty_Training_5426 19h ago
I'm just glad you are marking these as sarcasm because I really can't tell any more.
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u/64590949354397548569 1d ago
What? Free? Help the farmers and feed children? That's socialism. Something sleepy Joe would do. Thank god great leader will do no such thing
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u/polly_blockit 1d ago
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u/vineyardmike 1d ago
I went to that sub. The first article was some guy selling his house to pay for medical treatments to live long enough so his 3 year old will remember him.
Next was an advertisement for selling your plasma.
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u/cordell-12 1d ago
I got an ad for a job, a drone operator for a window cleaning drone. guess the boom lifts and scaffolding are going away in favor of man guided robots, until AI can code autopilot ones.
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u/Puck_Plant 1d ago
Why is there a student lunch debt?!
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u/Critical_Explorer_82 1d ago
Students in households earning less than 185% (about $43,000 for a family of four) of the national poverty line (about 30% of students in Utah) get free or reduced meals already. Breakfast is reduced. Lunch is free as of last year. This doesn't include kids who are already part of snap or other low income help for family food https://daycarecalc.com/school-meal-eligibility/utah.
This debt doesn't include them. The debt is for the other kids who's families should either send them to school with food or pay the $2-$3 for school lunch. I can send my kids to school with a lunch cheaper and better than the school lunch any day, but it takes some planning and work. $3 is a lot of money for a kids lunch. I am going to guess no one on here reading this is in this boat. We all earn more than triple or quadruple the poverty line and haven't been in that situation. I was as a kid and we did reduced lunch for a while (there was stigma attached) then just started making our own lunches. It's a sucky situation, however there are already means to help everyone without relying on the state to feed all of our children. This debt could also be from families who could afford to pay but just don't. The school doesn't turn anyone away who wants lunch, whether they pay or not. I'm sure I'll get lots of hate for this, but that's okay. This isn't a popular opinion on Reddit, especially in the /Utah sub.
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u/Revolutionary_Wish21 20h ago
What is your opinion? I read your post three times now and it just seems like you’re saying: too bad, but if kids don’t qualify for free lunch they should pay because they can afford it.
You even admit 3 dollars is a lot for school lunch. Clearly they can’t afford it because there is a 3.8 mil debt.
Seems your opinion is that the kids should have just been born to wealthier parents.
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u/Critical_Explorer_82 7h ago
I would love for every kid to be able to eat lunch at school. Every kid should eat because every kid needs to eat and it's difficult to learn on an empty stomach. If we made lunch available to everyone for free, that's an option. My opinion is that's a bad option. Raise the maximum income to get free lunch, sure. We'll be able to provide free lunch to more kids. There are problems with greatly increasing the number of kids who get school lunch, but much of the difficulty is logistics. Many kids who don't eat would probably eat. However, there are many kids (so said my kids and former middle school teacher wife) who will throw away most of their lunch so they can play as lunch and recess are combined. Some kids eat a cookie or candy bar for lunch and that's it. If we provide free lunch for all kids, great. It will solve the problem of school lunch debt, but it won't help the underlying problem of kids going hungry or not able to pay attention because they didn't get enough food. I don't know the demographics of the kids throwing away their food it those who eat all their food. My daughter was one of those for almost a year, throwing her sandwich away my wife packed for her without telling her. After that I think she made her own lunch. There are deadbeat parents. There are parents who are to busy to help their kids make sure they have lunch food. There are parents who can barely afford (as someone else mentioned) lunch money (I guess lunch food as well) for their kids. Then, there are parents who are very capable and their kids are going to be fine. I feel for the kids in the struggling families. The kids shouldn't be punished because of their parents. Maybe we should just let each family decide if they want free lunch regardless of income. Maybe an opt out or an opt in, allowing teachers and counselors to suggest certain kids be added as some parents won't take the initiative, and would need to clear it with the parents first. I guess what I'm trying to say is, sure, provide free lunch. It's a good virtual signal. I don't think it will significantly raise grades or improve behavior. It will allow all students to graduate on time. It also teaches kids who will shortly be adults someone will come and solve their problems for them.
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u/Revolutionary_Wish21 6h ago
You’re kinda all over the place here. But I get the sense you’re leaning towards indifferent to it, aside from it as a virtue signal(?). But also you have the mistaken belief that access to food won’t raise grades or benefit child development (btw both of these are easily demonstrated in peer reviewed research). Then you sort of land on what can only be described as bootstrap mentality in that it teaches children someone else will take care of their problems.
With regard to that last bit - I disagree. It teaches children to care. That when people are lagging behind we should help. Tell me, exactly what is a 5th grader supposed to do when they don’t have the support? How strong do those tiny bootstraps need to be to heave them up against the social failings of a community that doesn’t value taking care of a child?
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u/bleckToTheMax 19h ago
I had to start bringing a home lunch as a kid when older siblings moved out and we no longer qualified for reduced price lunch. Believe it or not, my parents still struggled really bad to stay on top of bills and expenses. Making enough that you have to pay for the school lunch doesn't mean someone can do it easily.
Then, sure, there are people like me now who can easily pay for my kids' lunches but occasionally go into debt for a few days when we forget to add money to their lunch account. I doubt that's where most of the school lunch debt is though.
If people really care so much about not helping the people who don't need it, we could always increase the cut off for free lunches. Instead of 130% of poverty rate for free lunch, we could up it to 200%. I'd be ok with free lunch for all kids, but upping the income cap would help the people who need it most and might be more palatable for those who dislike taxes being used to help people.
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u/TRVTH-HVRTS 1d ago
The state wastes so much money on ed tech contracts (and I’m sure other contracts) and inflated admin budgets that they could easily make up the shortfall several times over by cleaning up their house and being held responsible for where all of our tax money goes
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u/mushu_beardie 12h ago
Most teachers don't even use their smart boards, so all they do is take up whiteboard space since they're screwed over the whiteboard.
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u/AcceptableHumor6241 1d ago
As soon as these start to sell the politicians will switch where the money is directed. Just as they did with the black and white plates.
Utah's is now a kleptocracy through and through.
Sadly this is the same on the federal level.
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u/chewnks 1d ago
The black background historical society plates? Got details on this switch you speak of? Genuinely curious.
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u/AcceptableHumor6241 1d ago
House Bill 324 changed where the tax/fee money went. Now only $2 goes to the Utah State Historical Society. Also this is capped at a maximum payout of $500,000 annually.
When the blackout plate was first introduced, 100% of the initial and annual $25 donations went directly to the Historical Society to help fund local history programming and the future Museum of Utah.
However, because the plate became an unexpected viral success—selling over 212,000 units and raising millions—lawmakers stepped in to assert legislative oversight on the windfall and divert the "excess" revenue back into state funds. (Back room deals to friends and family)
Subsequent legislation like S.B. 91 increased the required total contribution for the plate from $25 to $50.
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u/Imaginary_Manner_556 1d ago
Wow. Our politicians are so good at solving the root problem.
This will probably help them charge more for lunches
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u/Lost-Perspective8378 1d ago
We fed kids during covid. That means we can feed all the kids and the country chooses not to. Lunch debt shouldn't exist. All kids should be fed in the richest country in the world.
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1d ago
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u/IamHydrogenMike 1d ago
They could negate the income tax cuts they’ve done the last few years and have plenty of money to pay for school lunch for kids. They also turned down federal funds to pay for free school lunch and breakfast for kids a couple of years ago.
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u/rembunenby 1d ago
What if out of the good will of Jesus Christ the LDS used their billions and billions of dollars to provide for their community in an impactful way like paying for the forgiveness of school lunch debt and ensuring that no child in UT goes hungry
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u/homestarjr1 1d ago
Any child in Utah who can make their way to Salt Lake can hang out in the City Creek Mall. The splendor of that tithing funded building is probably better than school lunch.
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u/Imaginary_Golf7211 9h ago
Lets' be clear... you can live in a $600,000.00 house in Utah that you purchased years ago and have $300,000 in equity and your kid can still get a free lunch.
What if people tapped their equity to pay their bills......
Don't get me wrong...kids shouldn't go hungry. But any kid can ask for a free lunch.
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u/Glum-Ad-1379 20h ago
The church helps more people every year than you will in your lifetime. You do know what works both ways you yourself can actually call up any school and pay off a students lunch debt.
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u/rembunenby 20h ago
Here's a hot take: the church still doesn't do enough. Because they don't need to horde wealth. They're a church, but operate like a business. I am an adult living paycheck to paycheck and pay my taxes. Unlike the church. Start taxing mega churches and the people running them and then BOOM lots of issues solved. Your response is probably just as tone deaf as mine sounds to you.
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u/Glum-Ad-1379 14h ago
Here’s a hot take: churches are taxed on all business assets as its required by federal state law. Well, one would say you don’t help enough either and you’re just as tone deaf as Donald Trump.
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u/Wrx_me 20h ago
I shouldn't personally have to take on the burden the government should be taking care of with tax money I already pay. The church fleeces money from the state through the guise of a tax free religion, yet doesn't care enough to actually help anyone that isn't involved in their religion
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u/Critical_Explorer_82 1d ago
The church could spend all the money it has to feed the world. There would still be hungry people and the church would be out of money. The world doesn't need handouts and that's not the mission of the church.
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u/dubblebubbleprawns 1d ago
The world doesn't need handouts and that's not the mission of the church.
Capitalist Jesus died for poor people to fuck off
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u/SnukeInRSniz 1d ago
Oh but another multi-million dollar marble and gold guilded temple in bum fuck nowhere Idaho will surely make a difference. Fuck the LDS church.
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u/Jonfers9 1d ago
Are you referring to the new temple in the small town of ephraim that is 7 miles from the temple in the smaller town of manti? Just wondering.
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u/Critical_Explorer_82 1d ago
Yeah, this guy doesn't get it.
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u/SnukeInRSniz 18h ago
You're right, I simply don't get how a religious entity can continue to spend untold sums of money on the acquisition of real estate land, building massive gaudy churches all over in places that simply don't have the population to support such things, and continue to horde wealth like it's going out of style while the state that is is headquartered in is worrying about feeding its students that, checks notes, would be entirely taken care of by a couple million dollars.
I also don't get how defenders of said religious entity can continue to support the hypocrisy of such a thing and it's multi-billion dollar slush fund while continuing to pay their tithing tax like good little boys and girls. I suppose there's a reason why the level of religious participation drops among higher education attainment individuals, you simply start losing the ability to dupe and deceive people once they develop critical thinking skills at a certain level.
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u/rembunenby 1d ago
You have a very sad outlook and I pray to my non Mormon God that you find kindness and peace in your heart
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u/thinkB4WeSpeak Helper 1d ago
How much does the Mormon church have these days?
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u/LoOkUp0610 19h ago
Enough to toss checks around for this https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/10/13/lds-church-kicks-1m-fight-idaho/
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u/LissGoogleAcct 1d ago
If only there was some way to tax people regularly so nobody goes hungry.. Oh wait
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u/Tusks_Up 1d ago
I could have guessed everyone in the comments on Reddit would hate this haha. Know your audience, it's Utah. People are up in arms about even the slightest tax increase, just take the positives where you can.
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u/iAmDrakesEyebrows 1d ago
Dont let Mike Lee or Gov Cox find out about it. They will put a stop to that in a blink of an eye. No kid doesn’t go hungry on their watch
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u/Yj_1991 1d ago
!Remindme 3 weeks
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u/Crafty_Training_5426 19h ago
but, wouldn't me getting a "In God We Trust" plate help with that too...those kids just need to trust God more. /s
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u/gr8lifelover 18h ago
I’m so glad to see this! As a supporter of the non profit to eliminate lunch debt, this warms my heart. And DJ seems to be the nicest kind of people. Going to bat for others in a truly helpful and positive way. Well done, DJ!
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u/ChavoDelMoco 18h ago
I wonder what happened with the sign up sheet this dude sent. He deleted his account too. https://www.reddit.com/r/SaltLakeCity/s/aSYO6apo3z
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u/jakebs2002 1d ago
Oh wow! Here is something from my local government that I can actually be proud of. This is great!
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u/Old_Man_Smell 1d ago
I don’t have kids but please, just fucking tax me for it. If I have to pay 50 bucks more a year so little Jane can have a slice of pizza and a carton of milk on my dime, for the love of god please tax me. My tax dollars currently fund war crimes in the Middle East and publicly broadcasted executions. Debt for feeding children is fucking bonkers and it’s embarrassing that it exists at all.