Josh Maschhoff didn’t go to Chicago to ask for a handout; he went to offer a solution that could save a school district in a financial crisis millions of dollars annually.
After being selected to speak at the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education meeting, Maschhoff jumped in his vehicle 24 hours later to drive 300 miles to the meeting site. When he arrived in Chicago with Illinois Pork Producers Association’s executive director Jennifer Tirey, people were already lined up at the door to enter the 10:30 a.m. meeting.
For the first few hours of the nearly nine-hour meeting, groups came forward to present their two-minute case to the school board.
“Most were pleading for programs, why not to close their school and how much money they needed to sustain the schools,” Maschhoff says. “In fact, some of those schools were looking to close in the next two to three weeks for lack of funding. The environment was tense.”
A Million-Dollar Proposal
When Maschhoff’s name was called, his comments carried a much different tone.
“I might be the only one who stands up here today with a proposal for you to save money and still give more choice,” he began in his comments shared here.
He asked the board for a formal review of the district’s pork prohibition impacting 630 schools that currently cannot serve pork at breakfast or lunch. Of the 350,000 free meals served daily at CPS through the Community Eligibility Provision, none includes pork. Despite being a staple in Chicago households, a vote during a virtual COVID-era board meeting quietly removed this nutrient-dense protein from the menu.
Because the district is unable to accept or serve USDA-provided pork, CPS forgoes access to a nutrient-dense, high-quality protein available through federal procurement, Tirey says. On a weekly basis, CPS misses out on approximately $5.51 million in federal reimbursements because roughly 39% of students skip lunch and 56% skip breakfast. Just by swapping a beef sausage patty with a pork sausage patty at breakfast alone, it would save CPS $1.2 million over 180 days.
“You could tell this was a unique topic school board members weren’t expecting to hear about,” Tirey says. “We did see a lot of non-verbal nods and smiles, recognizing that we had been there for several hours. I think it definitely created an impact.”
Maschhoff noticed people perk up when he mentioned cost savings. Many board members looked surprised when he discussed the ban on pork.
“I heard from several of the board members when I followed up with emails afterward,” Tirey says. “They are definitely aware of the situation now and are interested in pursuing a review of the policy.”
Several board members requested more information, specifically on the nutritional value and content of pork. Tirey says the next step is a review of the policy with the Office of Student Health and Wellness.
“In the meantime, I am setting up meetings on Zoom during individual board members’ designated CPS board office hours to see if those individuals have any additional questions or want more information,” Tirey says.
Correcting the Record
The Illinois Pork Producers Association is also employing targeted campaign ads about the pork ban on social media in the Chicagoland area for school-age parents.
“There have been several comments and questions that we have been able to respectfully respond to that I think consumers just don’t understand,” she says. “We’ve had comments about the cost of pork, and we’ve been able to offer cost analysis information. There have been comments about the religious choice. We’ve been able to give the individuals information about the halal-certified kitchen that Chicago Public Schools works with, and how pork would simply be offering another option – another choice – and not taking away from anyone’s rights.”
She says social media has been a positive way to answer some of those questions for individuals who are not familiar with the pork industry.
Beyond Chicago
The impact of the CPS ban is resonating far beyond the city limits. One food service employee commented on social media that they weren’t seeing a lot of pork served in their schools in central Illinois and didn’t think kids were eating it.
“We responded and said, ‘Well, we respectfully disagree, and here are the statistics in the Chicagoland area for why we believe there are some discussions that need to be had,’” Tirey says. “We talked about the nutritional value of pork and the food service person said, ‘Thank you for your intelligent responses. I’m going to take another pass at including more pork in my school menu again.’”
It’s hard to imagine kids going to school and not eating anything because they don’t like the choices they are being served on the menu, Maschhoff says. CPS has the opportunity to take advantage of government programs to purchase nutrient-dense pork products that are culturally relevant and appreciated by over 85% of its students.
“Let’s help these kids gain access to meals that are already paid for that will appeal to them and connect with them,” he says.
Connect Your Story
While the Chicago Public School system having a ban on pork is a big deal, Maschhoff adds, it’s just one of a number of school districts that do the same. CPS is the fourth-largest school district in the nation, but since uncovering this prohibition on pork, Maschhoff and Tirey have heard examples of other school programs that do the same.
“I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, ‘Hey, I looked into my school district and found out my kids don’t like the offerings that we have for protein either, and pork isn’t on the menu very much there,’” he says. “And those are rural districts.”
At the National Pork Industry Forum, the National Pork Board shared how it will continue to invest more dollars, through the hiring of an additional staff member, to promote nutrition research on pork and help public schools add more pork into their menu to follow the new dietary guidelines.
“This is what’s causing America to not be healthy,” Maschhoff says. “It’s the choices that we provide them, starting in their schools, where they attend every day. We need to tell our story and keep banging the drum.”
Every story matters. That’s why the industry needs to persistently advocate and show up to help answer questions, provide additional resources and make connections, Maschhoff says.
“It doesn’t take much time to explain your story,” he adds. “With four little boys, I am passionate about making sure they eat right and attend school – those are two main goals in my life now. All I did was connect my story to things that can impact my children and other children who attend public schools.”
