Springfield toughens

position on lunch bills

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield School Board unanimously approved a motion Monday night to get tougher on delinquent school lunch bills.

Effective fall semester, junior and senior high students with past due lunch bills amounting to $25 or more per family will not be served full school lunches.

Instead, they will receive peanut butter sandwiches.

Elementary students will still receive full school lunches, even if they have delinquent lunch bills.

Springfield School Superintendent Luther Heller said the school district was owed $3,200 in overdue school lunch bills last year. The bills range from $16.82 to $482.65 per family.

Nine of 16 families that were sent certified letters on past due bills did not accept the letter last year, according to Dr. Heller.

The new policy doesn't mean students will go hungry.

"Kids will get something to eat," said Springfield School Board Chairman Dennis Potter. "Although peanut butter sandwiches are not reimbursable meals."

The district will send letters to parents with past due accounts in an attempt to settle them. There was discussion about turning larger overdue bills over to a collection agency or selling them to a bank, but a motion on that subject was not made.

In other action, the board:

* Approved a motion to fully implement Graduation Standards and the Profile of Learning. Questionnaires were sent to 43 district teachers; 33 were returned with 29 voting in favor of full implementation.

* Approved a motion to set board election filing dates between Aug. 29 and Sept. 12.

* Heard a report from Heller that he is attending meetings in Lakeville this week on how to construct long-range financial planning models.

* Learned from High School Principal John Dezeeuw said the first day of high school would include a rock band hosted by the high school German Club.

* Approved contracts for agriculture education teacher Denise Keller and business education teacher Wendy Doherty.

* Met in executive session for 20 minutes to reconsider fall coaching assignments and pending litigation.

After the session, Dennis Potter explained that fall coaching assignments were amended to exclude a junior high volleyball coaching position.