By Kris Goracke

Reporter

The discussion at the regular October Minnewaska School Board meeting focused on the future of the Lakes Area Enrichment Center site and high school lunches.

In a letter to the board, the Lakes Area Enrichment Center expressed its desire to merge childcare programs with the Minnewaska Area School District. The letter stated, “We believe this transition will enhance the quality of care and educational opportunities provided to the children in our community.”

The center, citing inflation as a challenge to reaching its full potential, now requests the school district to take a more active leadership role in the daycare program.

Superintendent Chip Rankin acknowledged the growing need for childcare in the community, “The demand for daycare far exceeds the supply. If quality child care isn’t available, the community suffers. We see fewer people in the workforce, fewer families moving to our area, and fewer children in our schools. This is a community-wide issue.”

Rankin noted that the current kindergarten class, with only 63 students, is the smallest ever, which he partly attributes to the lack of childcare options for families considering moving to the area. “Without daycare, we’re pushing families away,” he added.

Rankin suggested that the school could help by integrating the daycare into the district’s food program. “If the daycare becomes part of the school, the children would qualify for the food program, reducing overhead costs,” he explained.

He encouraged the board members to engage with community members to gauge their opinions on the daycare issue. “This isn’t just a school problem, but we are in a position to help. On November 6, I suggest we hold a work session to examine the numbers and explore the possibility of taking on this daycare,” Rankin concluded. 

Challenges in school lunch 

schedule discussed

Food Manager Bridget Gallagher attended the board meeting to discuss ongoing challenges and answer questions. Gallagher began by outlining the difficulties caused by a staffing shortage. “We started the school year down seven employees,” she said. “Even when we did hire new staff, training needed to take place so we were unable to follow the routines we had in previous years.”

She also highlighted another challenge—a change in the lunch schedule that brought over 300 students into the cafeteria during a 25-minute window. “This meant we had to get more than 300 students through the line and still give them enough time to eat,” she explained.

The number of food lines was reduced to manage the large number of students, which limited students’ meal options. “Even with just one line, we couldn’t get all the students through before the bell,” Gallagher noted.

She further explained that the staffing shortage made it impossible to open the à la carte line. “We needed to properly train our staff instead of overwhelming them in a chaotic situation.”

Addressing concerns about food quality, Gallagher assured the board that it has remained consistent with previous years. “The only difference this year is that students haven’t had the option to choose between meals.”

When questioned about food shortages, Gallagher explained the difficulty of serving 7th, 8th, and 9th graders in the same lunch period. Since USDA portion sizes vary by grade level, it was sometimes hard to ensure the correct portions. “We don’t always know what grade the students are in as they go through the line, which has occasionally led to running out of food,” she said.

High School Principal Nate Meissner addressed the changes to the lunch schedule. “Last year, we had Laker Time, which allowed for three lunch periods: one for 7th and 8th graders, another for 9th and 10th graders, and a third for 11th and 12th graders,” he explained. “This year, we’ve reduced Laker Time to once a week to increase academic instruction time.”

As a result, the number of students in each lunch period changed. The first lunch now serves 306 7th, 8th an 9th grade students, the second lunch is for 6th graders only, the third lunch serves 328 10th-12th graders, and the fourth is for 4th and 5th graders with 180 students. Lunches start at 10:55 a.m. and finish by 1:05 p.m.

Gallagher added that another challenge is the lack of a custodian in the lunchroom, a change from previous years. “When there’s a spill, we have to pull someone from the lunch line to clean it up,” she noted.

Despite these challenges, Gallagher said the situation is improving, “We were able to open our second line and Al a Carte at the beginning of October, giving students lunch options. They’re starting to see their favorite meals return.”

Board member Ted Reichmann asked, “How many more staff do you need?” Gallagher responded, “Two more staff members would make us fully staffed. That would allow us to return the grab-and-go line and open the à la carte option.”

“It sounds like the perfect storm, but we’re chipping away at it,” board member Chad Barsness added.

The board thanked Gallagher and the kitchen staff for their hard work and agreed to continue monitoring the progress of the lunch program.

In other business, the board approved several new hires, including paraprofessionals, assistant musical directors, and school-age childcare assistants. They also approved the seniority list and a three-year agreement with the City of Starbuck for a School Resource Officer.

The 19th Annual Veterans Day Program will occur on Monday, November 11, at 9 a.m. in the Minnewaska Area High School Gymnasium. The next School Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 18, at 7 p.m. in the Glenwood Elementary Media Center.