Monroe shares concerns about State meal reimbursement rates

Food service funding, current school year numbers, new hires and the approval of several invoices were all topics of reports and action items during an Aug. 28 meeting of the Frenchman Board of Education in the Fleming School/Community Library last week. The Board approved several 140-day staff agreements as well as named two as critical shortage teachers.

The August board meeting opened with reports from staff members now that staff are back in the building following summer break. Food Service Manager Stephanie Monroe kicked off reports, expressing her concerns with reimbursement rates from the State.

According to Steve McCracken, Colorado voters approved providing free meals to school students but the State is not funding what the voters approved.

"In fact, our reimbursement rate for meals is very low. And from what I understand, we will be locked into that rate for the next four years," said McCracken.

Proposition FF, also known as Healthy School Meals for All, passed by 55 percent of voters in 2022 and mandates, regardless of income, free breakfast and lunch for public school students. That began with the 2023-24 school year.

According to information in a recent article published in the Denver Gazette, organizers behind the ballot initiative estimated the program would cost $115 million in its first year, however, the actual cost significantly exceeded that nearing $166 million.

The same article said organizations behind the voter-approved measure had anticipated 60,000 school-aged children would participate in the program but in reality roughly 184,000 students ate free breakfast and 435,000 students ate a free lunch across the state, daily. Those number represent a 40-percent increase in expected participation in breakfast and 34-percent increase in lunch.

In Fleming, Monroe told board members participation in the breakfast and lunch programs continue to increase.

Later, in reports, Principal Kortney Firme told the BOE that numbers thus far reflect an increase from the year before. She said as of the meeting date Fleming had a total of 225 students. The official student count will come in October with a five-day average around the date of Oct. 1.

New Social Studies Teacher Scott Walker also spoke to the Board. He presented a video he created highlighting school activities thus far this year. He discussed his ideas about creating a Fleming Wildcat TV show and the manner in which content could be shared with parents and the public.

McCracken said in addition to teaching social studies, Walker has also taken on the School's yearbook and is a big YouTube person. He has been busy teaching high school students how to create and edit content.

"The Wildcat TV shows will be sent to our students and parents through our email system. The content will not be made public on YouTube," McCracken said.

During action items, board members voted to approve Derek Bandy as a maintenance, custodial and paraprofessional at Fleming Schools. The Board also approved Patty Kuhn, Carmen Vandenbark and Ellen Lippstrew as 140-day agreements for PERA and Christy Stumpf and Denise King as critical shortage employs. Additionally, a list of extra duty assignments and substitute teachers was also given approval.

Kuhn is a bus driver and works in Fleming's transportation department to help coordination that program. Vandenbark, a former board member, is a bus driver and works in the Fleming tech department. Lippstrew serves as a paraprofessional in the elementary school.

In other business the Board:

• Approved new band room cabinets for $35,697 to replace existing cabinets. Project money come out of the General Fund;

• Approved a quote from Schlenz Builders to repair exterior doors;

• Approved dues for 2024-25 with the Colorado Association of School Boards.