(by Matt Pedigo-The Citizen-Times, May 22, 2014)
At the suggestion of Food Services Director Mary Hobdy, the Allen County Board of Education voted in its regular session Monday to participate in a federal program that, in essence, eliminates paid and reduced-price student food programs.
The board also voted a 10-cent increase in lunch prices that, now, will just apply to James E. Bazzell Middle School and Allen County-Scottsville High School.
Both changes will take effect this August with the upcoming 2014-2015 school year.
Hobdy had first discussed the US Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Option—the name for which has since become Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)—at the board’s January meeting.
CEP’s eligibility formula takes the rate of direct certification at a given school—the percentage of students whose families are receiving on some form of public financial assistance, which automatically qualifies the children for free or reduced-price meal programs. The minimum requirement is 40 percent, and Hobdy said evaluators typically look for rates of 50 percent or more. That is then multiplied by 1.6 to account for the kinds of reimbursement school districts receive for offering meals—the “paid” or “free” rates.
For January 21, 2013, the direct certification percentage of the student body at ACPC was 49 percent. In just under a year, by January 16, 2014, that rate had risen to 57 percent. At ACIC, the rate rose from 43 percent this time last year to 48 percent this year. By May, Hobdy said, ACPC’s direct certification rate was 52 percent; multiplied by 1.6, the 83 percent rate crossed the threshold. ACIC’s multiplied rate was 73 percent.
The program would mean free (federally-reimbursed to the District) breakfasts and lunches for all students, though if a student wanted a second meal, he or she would have to pay for it, as would adults, school staff and anyone purchasing ala carte items. Any outstanding meal account debts would still have to be paid by students, parents or guardians.
At the local level, it also means savings on administration labor and costs, as the work involved keeping up with lunch accounts and the application process for free and reduced lunch programs are both eliminated.
Board member Billy Turner asked if, under CEP, parents still had the option to pay if they chose to. Hobdy said she hadn’t asked that question, and didn’t at this time have an answer.
The CEP enrollment is a year-by-year decision for up to four years. After that—for those who can pay—money may again be required for school meals.
“There’s the only downside,” Board Chairman Jeff Eaton noted. “If it ever stops, they’re going to cry.”
In all, Hobdy said, the change would affect 1,750 Allen County public school students. (JEBMS and AC-S direct certification rates have not met the CEP requirements, so the current system will remain in effect for at least the next school year.) CEP participation would also likely increase school breakfast participation by about 50 percent, Hobdy said. Because of student numbers, ACPC would have to have a “grab and go” style breakfast, while ACIC students could sit down to eat, just as they would for lunch, she added.
Answering a question by board member Beth Edwardson, Hobdy said the move would not affect the quality of the food.
CEP has been in use in Kentucky schools for four years now, and currently serves 69 school districts—372 individual school in all.
“I think it’s telling that all 69 districts stayed on this year,” Superintendent Randall Jackson said. “They haven’t dropped out.”
On a motion by board member Justin Marsh, seconded by Edwardson, the board voted its unanimous approval.
In another school meal -related matter, Hobdy presented a proposal to raise full-pay school lunch prices by 10 cents each at the two remaining pay-option schools, from $1.65 to $1.75—a move again sought by USDA regulators in the eventual required climb to $2.65.
“If you don’t raise it, you’re at risk of losing funding,” Jackson added.
“Maybe next year, we won’t have to have an increase,” Hobdy said.
Hobdy noted that Allen County’s school lunch program was still a bargain by regional standards. Of 15 counties in the region, only Edmonson and Taylor counties have lower full-pay lunch rates—$1.70 and $1.60 respectively—but only at the elementary-school levels in both districts; both districts’ middle and high school rates were higher. Butler County matched Allen County’s proposed $1.75 rate, but all other districts were substantially higher.
Hobdy’s proposal also called for leaving breakfast prices unchanged at $1.10. (Monroe County’s breakfast was a dime cheaper, but its lunches were a full $2.)
On a motion by Edwardson, seconded by Turner, Hobdy’s proposal was unanimously approved.
In other business:
•Superintendent Jackson presented the district’s tentative $31,456,992.62 budget for the coming fiscal year, drafted with the input of Finance Officer Angie Anderson and various administrators and principals.
Of that total, about $1.2 million—4.04 percent—will be kept in the Contingency Fund. That rate is double the state-required two percent, Jackson noted. Federal grants and funding sources would total just under $3.4 million. The general Fund would total around $22 million.
There was good news to report from this year’s general Assembly, which increased Support Educational Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding—the state’s largest pool of funding for local districts—for the next two years. The current rate of $3,827 per student, based on ADA (average daily attendance) was increased to $3,911 for the coming school year. Based on a district enrollment of 3,000 students, that’s an increase of about $250,0000 for the district. For the 2015-2016 school year, the SEEK allocation per student increases to $3,981.
However, Jackson cautioned against any belief that the district will have much extra money because, this time, a state-mandated raise for certified and classified personnel did not come unfunded. One-percent pay raises for all of the District’s personnel are mandated for the next two years. That extrapolates on the scale as teachers earn master’s degrees, doctorates, Rank One and higher certifications, thus chewing up most of the SEEK increase. In all, about 80 percent of the district’s budget goes for personnel-related expenses. This includes mandated contributions to the Kentucky Teacher Retirement System.
“We have to be very, very careful, especially in the 2015-2016 fiscal year,” Jackson said.
The budget will also see an increase of $73,094 for instructional resources, which can encompass a variety of purchases from textbooks to technology. The professional development fund for teacher training jumped from about $11,000 to $26,000. Also, personnel numbers per school will remain roughly the same.
The board approved the tentative budget, though a final draft won’t be adopted until September.
•Director of Pupil Personnel Garry DeWitt presented attendance statistics through the eighth month of the current school year. His report showed the year’s first decline versus the 2012-2013 school year.
“It was our first ‘red’ month,” he said. “It’s not terrible, but not exactly where we’d like to be.”
The attendance rate for the month was 94.53 district-wide, down slightly from 94.86 for the same period in the previous school year. Versus that year, attendance was down in all grades except kindergarten, third, sixth and 12th.
•The board voted to renew its property, liability, Workers Compensation and fleet insurance with Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance, offered through locally-based Wooten Insurance. The premium, at $236,267.04, was actually down about $7,000 from the previous year. Wooten owner Jordan Clarke said this was due to joining the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce—a $2,000 expense that netted savings of about $5,000.
In other insurance-related business, the board saved another $8,000 in renewing its student accident insurance with the lowest bidder, R. Robertson Insurance, at $69,998.28. Director of Operation Brian Carter noted that, for the third straight year, the company had paid out for Allen County claims more than it was taking in for premiums, mainly from athletic injuries. He recommended dropping physical therapy coverage limits to $1,000. The board approved.
•For the upcoming new school year, the board also voted to create a new head coaching position for the AC-S bass fishing program, at a $600 salary, and freshman assistant coaches position for the baseball and softball programs at $1,000 each per season.
•Glasgow’s Wilderness Studios was again contracted for school photos.