Cooks report on M-P nutrition program

by Mary Coblentz
Two of Mid-Prairie’s three head cooks reported on the district’s nutrition program at Monday’s school board meeting.
Washington Township head cook Martha Benedict told the board that the cooks are pursuing a “farm to school” program in which local produce is purchased and used in school lunch programs. The cooks have met with Matt Petersheim who said it is possible for him and other local producers to grow some fruits and vegetables for the schools, some of which could be frozen.
Benedict stated that the district can freeze produce for future use, but it cannot can it. The farm to school movement is becoming more prevalent in many states, Benedict said. The quality and nutrition value of fresh produce is greater than what the district can get elsewhere.
Already, the district has purchased watermelon and tomatoes at the Frytown produce auction, and it gets eggs from Farmers Hen House at a very good price.
Middle school head cook Amber Kempf explained how the cooks plan menus on a monthly basis. The cooks get together to plan the menus and they try at least one new menu item each month.
Gayle Cole, the head cook at the high school, was not able to attend the board meeting, but Kempf read some notes from Cole. Cole does most of the commodity ordering, and the dry goods and frozen foods are stored at the high school and obtained by other buildings when needed.
Recently, the district has tried whole wheat tortillas, which students seem to like. Also, it was noted that the high school offers vegetarian options for the eight or so vegetarians who attend.
Superintendent Mark Schneider read from the nutrition report, then congratulated the cooks for a “really good year” last school year.
The Mid-Prairie district served an average of 983 meals per school day last year and is on track to serve an average of 972 this school year. An average of eighty percent of the students in the district were served hot lunch each day, and this year’s trend is 78 percent. Schneider explained that the district can never get to 100 percent because of absences, field trips, etc.
A total of 24,694 breakfasts were served in the district last school year. This year, the total estimated breakfasts that will be served is 21,947. Part of the decrease can be explained by the downturn in the economy. Benedict said that she has heard some students at Washington Township will eat breakfast only one or two times per week instead of daily at their parents’ instruction.
The total cost for the school nutrition program, including food costs, supplies, and salaries, for last school year was $483,260, a 5.5 percent increase over the previous school year. Revenue from the nutrition program was $479,385, a 7.5 percent increase over the previous school year. The difference between revenue and cost comes from the general budget. Revenue sources include state and federal funds and interest.
In other business, the board:

• approved the open enrollment request of Cynthia Fischer who asked that her daughter, a sophomore, be allowed to continue at Mid-Prairie even though they have moved to the Iowa City district;
• awarded Seating and Athletic Facility Enterprises LLC from Ellendale, Minnesota, the stadium bleacher project for the price of $158,907. The bleachers will be paid for with a $90,000 grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation with the remaining cost being paid for by the athletic boosters. Schneider explained that the engineering fees will be paid for by the district. The old bleachers will be removed this fall and, if the weather permits, the cement will be poured this fall as well. Construction will take place next fall, and it is hoped that the bleachers will be in place in time for track. The district will also pay for the drainage system under the bleachers;
• received no comments at a public hearing on the 2010 school calendar;
• held a public hearing on bus bid specifications. No comments from the public were heard. Transportation Director Dick Durst was present to answer questions from the board. Durst explained that in 2010, new emissions standards will be in place for school buses, so it could be less expensive to purchase buses this year if 2009 chassis are still available. Durst recommended that the district get bids for two buses and purchase two if the prices are still lower. The plan was to purchase only one bus this year and two next, but Durst said purchasing two this year and one next year could save the district $7,000 to $8,000;
• passed on second reading the 500 series of board policies except for five which were addressed separately;
• decided to discuss at another work session the board policy “good conduct rule.” This item was discussed at length at the last work session in October. The board will request that Activities Director Don Showalter give his input on the issue;
• passed the first reading of board policy “student honors and awards” on a four-three vote with board members Jim Hussey, Jack Dillon, and George Schaefer voting no. The issue at question was eliminating the valedictorian and salutatorian awards. The awards will stay;
• passed on first reading the board policy “graduation requirements” with a modification to clarify that AP English does not satisfy the composition or literature requirements but is only an elective English class;
• passed on first reading board policies “parent involvement” and “student records access.”