News > Local News
More Beloit students, families live in poverty
By Ashley Rhodebeck
Daily News staff writer
62 percent of students in Beloit qualify for free, reduced price lunch
For some students in the Beloit schools, paying $5 to replace a lost identification tag can be a lot.
“Sometimes there's not $3 to send to school for lunch,” said Chris Wesling, School District of Beloit director of student services.
Judging by the number of schoolchildren eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, more and more students in the greater Beloit area are living in poverty.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, this year a child from a family of four making $27,560 annually can receive free school lunches. If that family made $39,220, the child would be eligible for reduced-price lunches. (To calculate eligibility for larger or smaller families qualifying for free lunch, add or subtract $4,680 per person. For reduced-price lunches, use $6,660.)
About 32 percent of students statewide received subsidized lunches in the 2007-08 school year, up by 8.1 percent from the 2000-01 year.
Since 2000, the amount of Beloit students qualifying for subsidized lunches has grown from 49.7 percent to about 62 percent in the last academic year.
Surrounding districts - Beloit Turner, Clinton and Parkview - range between 16.3 and 22.4 percent.
Furthermore, more than 8,000 children were identified as being homeless in Wisconsin public schools at the end of the 2006-07 year, according to DPI.
Beloit schools identified 124 homeless students last year and nine so far this year. District leaders said there could be more unreported cases.
“There are lots of people with lots of pride,” said Barbara Hickman, administrator of academic and equity affairs.
According to DPI, homeless students include those living in motels, trailer parks, emergency or transitional shelters and cars. They are also considered homeless if they are sharing a house with other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship - a definition Hickman said her neighbors may not agree with.
“They don't think they're homeless if they stay with relatives for a short amount of time,” she said.
In her 29-year tenure as Burdge Elementary School principal, Hickman dealt with many children from low-income families. She learned the importance of having teachers who understand those families' mindset because it often differs from educators'.
“Schools are built on middle-class values,” Hickman said.
Research has shown children from disadvantaged backgrounds are likely to start school with a vocabulary more limited than their peers. The Beloit district tries to close that gap by offering programs like 4-year-old kindergarten, Wesling said.
Wesling was reluctant to make other generalizations regarding connections between academic achievement and low-income students since every child is different.
“A lot happens in a child's life that impacts behavior and learning,” she said.
For example, Wesling said, in addition to children from poverty, there are children in crisis. That means they are experiencing some sort of trauma, such as a divorce, death or drug-related issue.
Districts with high poverty rates sometimes have a higher population of students in crisis, Wesling noted.
For some students in the Beloit schools, paying $5 to replace a lost identification tag can be a lot.
“Sometimes there's not $3 to send to school for lunch,” said Chris Wesling, School District of Beloit director of student services.
Judging by the number of schoolchildren eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, more and more students in the greater Beloit area are living in poverty.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, this year a child from a family of four making $27,560 annually can receive free school lunches. If that family made $39,220, the child would be eligible for reduced-price lunches. (To calculate eligibility for larger or smaller families qualifying for free lunch, add or subtract $4,680 per person. For reduced-price lunches, use $6,660.)
About 32 percent of students statewide received subsidized lunches in the 2007-08 school year, up by 8.1 percent from the 2000-01 year.
Since 2000, the amount of Beloit students qualifying for subsidized lunches has grown from 49.7 percent to about 62 percent in the last academic year.
Surrounding districts - Beloit Turner, Clinton and Parkview - range between 16.3 and 22.4 percent.
Furthermore, more than 8,000 children were identified as being homeless in Wisconsin public schools at the end of the 2006-07 year, according to DPI.
Beloit schools identified 124 homeless students last year and nine so far this year. District leaders said there could be more unreported cases.
“There are lots of people with lots of pride,” said Barbara Hickman, administrator of academic and equity affairs.
According to DPI, homeless students include those living in motels, trailer parks, emergency or transitional shelters and cars. They are also considered homeless if they are sharing a house with other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship - a definition Hickman said her neighbors may not agree with.
“They don't think they're homeless if they stay with relatives for a short amount of time,” she said.
In her 29-year tenure as Burdge Elementary School principal, Hickman dealt with many children from low-income families. She learned the importance of having teachers who understand those families' mindset because it often differs from educators'.
“Schools are built on middle-class values,” Hickman said.
Research has shown children from disadvantaged backgrounds are likely to start school with a vocabulary more limited than their peers. The Beloit district tries to close that gap by offering programs like 4-year-old kindergarten, Wesling said.
Wesling was reluctant to make other generalizations regarding connections between academic achievement and low-income students since every child is different.
“A lot happens in a child's life that impacts behavior and learning,” she said.
For example, Wesling said, in addition to children from poverty, there are children in crisis. That means they are experiencing some sort of trauma, such as a divorce, death or drug-related issue.
Districts with high poverty rates sometimes have a higher population of students in crisis, Wesling noted.
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