Green Forest schools to offer free meals to all students for next 4 years

The hassles of keeping track of lunch money, delinquent accounts and related paperwork will be remedied for at least the next four years in the Green Forest School District.

The district learned last week that it has qualified for a community eligibility program, which will allow it to offer free breakfast and lunch for all students beginning next school year, according to superintendent David Gilmore.

“We just got confirmation that we’re going to be able to do the community eligibility program, and what that will do is change the way that we look at free and reduced numbers for the district,” Gilmore said. “This program will allow us to be able to feed all students breakfast and lunch at no cost for the next four years. I am very excited about that.

“I think this is a game-changer for our school district and our community. There will be no charge for any of our students for the next four years on breakfast and lunch.”

Gilmore said he received an email Wednesday, May 20, confirming the district’s eligibility in the program.

The district will no longer accept free or reduced-price applications from families, thanks to the new program, the superintendent said.

“It’s about 93 percent of our kids are going to be covered within our district and we’re just going to take care of the other 7 percent in-house,” Gilmore said of the costs of the meals. “It’s very little cost to our district and we’ll be able to feed all of the kids.

“We want to make sure that everyone has what they adequately need. The community has been very good to us, and so we want to be able to provide back. That’s something we’re able to do through this community eligibility program.”

Taking away a burden for parents when it comes to paying for school breakfast and lunch is exciting, Gilmore said.

“Looking back as a parent myself, when I was a high school principal, with two kids of my own that were going to school, I remember writing some pretty heavy checks for their lunches,” he said. “… This will take a huge burden and relief off of them, and we think it will be a draw to our district, because we’re able to feed our students for free.”

YEAR TWO IN THE BOOKS

Gilmore’s second school year as superintendent came to a close when the last day of school wrapped up on Friday, May 22.

“I’m very excited about the progress I’m seeing in the district,” he said. “I just love the feel of our district. It’s a very hometown family feel.

“Everyone is working together and is doing what’s best for our kids, and they really have a lot of pride in our schools and things like that. So, I’m very, very excited about the atmosphere that I see in our district and the hard work that our teachers are putting in.”

Gilmore mentioned new coaches the district had during the school year, the addition of programs such as wrestling, and the success of other activities such as the many band accolades and the recent success of the district’s soccer program, as progress in the right direction.

The district is also planning to expand its popular agriculture program next year, Gilmore said.

“So many things are on such an upward trajectory,” he said.

BOARD MEETING

As part of its plans to add an inclusive playground for students of all abilities, the school board voted at its monthly meeting Wednesday, May 13, to allot $32,000 to pay for the groundwork needed for the project.

The district is receiving a grant and using additional donations to cover the majority of the $92,000 price tag for the project. Gilmore said the district was recently awarded another $5,500, which will reduce the amount the district will be responsible for paying out of its budget.

“It’s for all the students,” Gilmore said about the planned playground. “If the student is in a wheelchair or has a mobility issue, the playground will have ramps and things like that to help the student get up on it.

“We’ve got a lot of that paid for through grants and donations, but the one thing I didn’t feel right about was the groundwork for it. That’s one thing that we really didn’t have a good, solid plan for.”

A rubber-based ground surface is planned for the area, Gilmore said, and the district will now use money from its budget to cover any leftover amount.

“It’s been a long time since there’s been any new playground equipment for our students, so we’re happy to do that and make sure that it is inclusive for all of our students to be able to play on,” he said.

STREAMING OF MEETINGS

Gilmore said the board has been discussing possibly live-streaming videos of school board meetings, or posting them online.

“It’s been a topic that has come up a few times,” he said. “Some schools livestream and we’ve had some parents request it, so we’re looking into the best way to do that.

“We want to make sure that we have the right equipment to broadcast it, and for everybody to be able to hear and clearly see all of the board members and those who are speaking,” Gilmore said.

The district will continue to review the logistics of video recording board meetings, and it’s possible the practice could begin by the new school year next fall, Gilmore said.

Broadcasting the meetings live online through services such as YouTube and Facebook is an option, as is recording the meetings and posting video online after the fact, the superintendent said.

OTHER ITEMS

The board had a discussion about implementing a virtual learning program for students who need to take classes remotely because of certain circumstances, Gilmore said.

“A lot of schools have started a virtual program for students. We know there’s not a one-size-fits-all,” he said. “… We want to kind of keep up with the times and make sure we serve all of our students. I am a believer in brick-and-mortar schools, but I do realize there’s certain times where there’s instances where a student might need to go virtual. I would want to do it right and make sure that this is a student that will be able to handle virtual and that we’re giving them a good quality education. So, that’s something we’re entertaining.”