HUMBOLDT — Summer meals will be offered on weekdays free of charge to any youngster who shows up, USD 258 Board of Education members decided Monday.
Board members approved the summer food service program proposed by Superintendent of Schools K.B. Criss.
Breakfast and lunch will be served every weekday through June and July, except July 4, free of charge to any child under 18, Criss said.
The school district will be reimbursed by the state for its expenses, depending on the number of children who participate.
“We’re not in this to make money, but we need about 100 children a day to eat in order for us to break even,” Criss said.
The program will feature an agreement between the city and the Humboldt Ministerial Alliance, in which both entities will fund one employee to help prepare the meals.
Breakfasts will be served for one hour in the morning, while lunches will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Criss said.
Adults also will be welcomed to join the students in the lunchroom, although those over 18 must purchase their meals, Criss said.
“I’m sure there is going to be some trial and error as we get this started,” Criss said.
Criss plans to promote the summer meals heavily in the coming weeks to help staff get a better handle on the potential number of participants.
“The more kids we get, the more it will help us,” he said.
THE END OF the school year was extended by three days to make up missed days due to snow. The last day for students has been pushed back from May 17 to May 20. Humboldt students missed five days of school over the winter because of snow, while the district was able to forgive only two of them, to ensure students met minimum attendance requirements set forth by the state.
The last day for teachers and staff members is May 23.
BOARD MEMBERS set a minimum price for the Humboldt High School building trades house at $96,871.26, which covers the costs of construction.
About 40 people showed up over the weekend at an open house for the home at 1212 Mulberry St., Criss said.
The board also hired Jessica Greenfield as a high school science teacher.
They accepted the district’s 2009-10 financial audit prepared by Schlotterbeck and Burns, a Chanute accounting firm. The audit was “clean” with no notable transgressions in USD 258’s financial reports.
