Polson Schools set new meals policy
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POLSON – Polson Schools have adopted a new meals policy along with a slight increase in meal prices.
The new meals policy will allow students’ lunch money accounts to fall $15 into the negative before students are given an alternate meal such as a cheese sandwich, veggie sticks, fruit and milk. The school board voted unanimously June 12 to adopt the policy based on a recommendation from the Montana School Boards Association.
Superintendent Rex Weltz said that schools in the district previously had differing thresholds in regard to how far students’ accounts could go into the red before they were given an alternate meal. He said that parents are sent letters or given phone calls prior to their children’s accounts reaching negative $15.
The district will begin offering parents the ability to fund their children’s accounts online in the near future, he said. Assistant Business Manager Deb Anderson said parents also would be able to set up recurring payments with their bank accounts.
In other news, the school board approved 5-cent increases to the cost of breakfast and lunch. Beginning in the fall, breakfasts will cost $1.65, while lunches will cost $2.20 for grades K-8 and $2.30 for high school. Anderson said the district receives $2.60 or so in federal funds for each lunch for students who qualify for free lunches, so the district is subsidizing the cost of lunches for full-pay students somewhat.
Fifty-two percent of Polson students qualify for free or reduced lunches, she said.
Board member Alan Anderson said the district’s facilities committee is going to start looking at an alternative heating system for Cherry Valley Elementary. Weltz said earlier that the school is using a 1957 boiler that was installed in 1963. Replacing it would cost $1.4 million, he said.
Anderson said the district will also be looking to replace two heaters in the gym at Polson High School. Weltz said that only one of four is working and essentially runs all the time in the colder months. It was noted that the warmest the gym can get in the winter with one heater working is 60 degrees.
