Free summer meals will return to USD 257 starting next week, and Iola school leaders are looking at a way to continue to offer free meals once school resumes in the fall.
Food Services Director Staci Talkington gave board members an update on food programs, including the summer meals program, increased costs for the food service provider OPPA! and the possibility of applying for the Community Eligibility Provision, a program that allows districts with high rates of poverty to provide meals at no cost to students.
Under the program, a district would be reimbursed for its meal costs if they meet specific criteria, such as having a high rate of students on food stamps or in situations where they might be at risk of hunger, such as homelessness or in foster care.
If approved, the district will need to collect surveys with limited household information, in order to qualify for at-risk funding. Families filled out a similar survey during the post-pandemic years when the federal government paid for all school meals.
Board members asked Talkington to continue researching the matter, talk with other districts and present a report with recommendations at a board meeting on June 12.
Talkington also asked the board to approve an 8.4% rate increase to the district’s food service provider, OPPA! Superintendent Stacey Fager explained OPPA!’s request was based on the consumer price index and considers factors such as inflation.
Board members approved the increase, with Tony Leavitt pointing out the benefits of having a food provider compared to the years when the district managed its own food service. Fager confirmed the district saved about $250,000 annually with the switch.
Next year’s cost for student meals is not yet known, Talkington said. She did ask for approval of adult meal prices, which aren’t subsidized. Breakfast prices will increase 35 cents to $3.10 and adult meals will increase 40 cents to $4.65.
Summer meals program
The summer meals program kicks off at 11 a.m. Tuesday with Mayor Steve French reading a proclamation at Iola Elementary School in cooperation with Kansas Appleseed. SAFE BASE summer school students are expected to attend.
The elementary school will be the meals site, serving breakfast from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meals are served until July 27, Monday through Thursday, with one Friday, June 2.
MARV the Chow Bus will stop at 10 locations to deliver meals to go. Students will receive a meal in a sack and will not eat on the bus, unlike previous years.
MARV will also look a little different. The old bus has reached the end of its lifespan, so the district will use a yellow school bus with magnetic stickers.
MARV will make two stops a day at Iola locations and one daily visit for rural locations. Rural students will get breakfast and lunch together.
All kids eat free. Adults can eat with kids at a cost of $3 for breakfast and $4.50 for lunch (costs will increase on July 1).
