Wrangell students eating fewer school lunches

School lunches were the main topic of conversation at the Oct. 9 school board meeting.

Documents provided by the school meals program show the school provided 2,623 meals in September, down 1,182 meals from the same month last year. The figure represents a decrease of 31 percent. District figures show students ate 443 fewer breakfasts this year than last year, and 739 fewer lunches.

The decline in meals is also attributable in part to declining enrollment. Fewer students mean fewer lunches and breakfasts. As evidence, they pointed out that the number of free lunches offered to students from low-income families under federal law has also declined.

School board officials also say federal guidelines that require specific nutritional requirements mean school lunches may not be quite the treat they used to be. Trying to explain why students are more likely to bring a lunch from home pushed school system officials into the de facto position of food critics.

“I’m in the lunch room just about every day,” said Superintendent Rich Rhodes. “The tortilla shell is a whole-wheat tortilla. They don’t necessarily always like the bun on the fishwich. They don’t like some of the sweet potato chunks. Some things aren’t very salted … it’s not a salted flavor, but it’s more of a flavor that’s a traditional taste.”

Officials would survey Stikine Middle and Wrangell High students soon to evaluate their opinion of lunches and what they like and don't like, Rhodes said. A salad bar also set to launch sometime this year at Wrangell High could also have a positive impact, Rhodes said.

The conversation over the school meal figures also entered in the system’s recent decision to put the lunch contract out to bid, in the hopes that a meal services firm would be willing to take on the contract.

School officials had focused primarily on the financial aspect of the plan, and potential cost savings to the district. The district put out a request for proposals earlier this year after cost overruns had plagued the district’s inaugural attempt at a school-system managed lunch.

“I was looking at finances, I wasn’t looking at the productivity,” Rhodes said. “We should look at some surveys from those districts.”

Board member Krissy Smith said getting her children to eat lunch was sometimes an uphill battle.

“Even like last year, my kids wouldn’t eat lunch last year at all,” she said. “Even this year, it’s taken me until last week to convince them to eat the lunch.”

In other business, board members re-elected Susan Eagle to the school board presidency by unanimous consent – meaning no one else was nominated — during the reorganization portion of the meeting.

Members awarded the school board vice presidency for a second consecutive term to Rinda Howell, and also selected Tammy Groshong to continue as board secretary.

School board member Cynthia Waddington attended her first meeting as a member.

Parent Diane O’Brien told school board members she’s concerned about speedy drivers near the high school and elementary school during the school board’s public comments section, and suggested officials talk to the police about monitoring traffic.