Pam Dudding-Burch Contributing writer
With financial statistics in hand, Sherry Crowder, the School Nutrition Manager, presented the School Board with the suggested minimal lunch price increase at the monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 2.
“We are asking for the minimal increase possible,” she shared. She showed the previous years prices for all three schools. “Due to the Paid Lunch Equity Tool from the USDA, we will need to increase our lunch prices for the upcoming school year 2017-2018.” She added that there would be no increase in the breakfast prices.
Currently McCleary Elementary and the Middle School pay $1.85 and will increase to only $1.90. The High School lunch will increase from $2.10 to $2.15. “All other prices will stay the same,” Crowder added.
Gerri VanDyke, SPED teacher, submitted the Special Education Local plans to the Board for approval, so that they could submit them in order to receive the allocation for SPED. The funds total $161,747, which also include salaries, speech pathologist, materials and IEP online software and other necessities. The Board approved the request.
Sue Bostic, a citizen of Craig, presented her interests to the School Board that included; keeping the Driver’s Education program, BTEC, CCAP, the Agriculture program and Sports. She added that she knew that Craig did not have the funds right now to be able to offer what BTEC does. “If you have to cut anything in that program, cut out the transportation, allowing parents to still have the option for their child to attend, and then they can figure out how to get their child there.”
Bostic suggested that ‘keyboarding’ become a required class in the high school. “I believe that kids need to know this to even make it in today’s world, especially to effectively write a resume and be able to submit it.”
Her last comment was concerning the overall budget. “Whatever you do, keep what is best for the kids before you raise the salaries for the teachers,” she said.
Superintendent Jeanette Warwick shared that the possible budget cuts were looked at across the board. “Please know that none of these cuts are desirable and we had to put all of the options on the table,” she said before added that she requested the Board direct the expenditure cuts by the next meeting which will be held on June 6 in the Media Center at 6:30 p.m.