The Trenton R-9 Board of Education approved meal prices for next school year Tuesday evening.
The price for lunch at Trenton Middle and High schools will increase by 10 cents to $2.50 with all other meal prices increasing by 15 cents. Rissler Elementary School lunch will be $2.35 and breakfast for all district schools will be $1.65. Adult lunch at any of the schools will be $3.25, and adult breakfast at the schools will be $2.25. Reduced lunch and breakfast prices for students will remain at 40 cents.
Director or Supportive Services Kris Ockenfels reported Trenton R-9 was required to increase lunch prices by six cents to meet minimum compliance in regards to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 and for participating in the National School Lunch Program. The district had to raise prices by 11 cents to meet the Weighted Average Price Requirement. The Weighted Average Price Requirement was $2.45 per paid lunch meal. Ockenfels noted the price was based on the consumer price index, which was two point seven percent.
The board approved zeroing out three activity account balances that were approved last month as part of the 2019-2020 budget. They included $30,000 for Rissler and $15,000 each for Trenton Middle and High schools.
Three grant application requests were approved. One of two GEC Community Foundation Grant applications was from sixth-grade teacher Darcie Taylor for $1,000 to purchase five triple beam balances for $200 each for teaching students to collect and analyze data in science.
The other grant submission was from second-grade teacher Kelsey Donohue for $425 to purchase a Fountas and Pinnell Reading Level Assessment Kit for one-on-one reading assessments, reading accuracy rate, fluency scoring, comprehension checks, and assessment guides for writing.
Donohue also submitted a request for a Missouri Retired Teachers Foundation Classroom Grant to purchase a Fountas and Pinnell Reading Level Assessment Kit. No matches are required for the grants.
Jeremy Proctor with Ellison-Auxier Architects, Incorporated provided the board with an update on bid documents for the school construction project. The company is at the 90 to 95% rate of completion with the drawings for the Performing Arts Center and updated media center at the middle and high schools, concession stand and bathrooms at C. F. Russell Stadium, and new entrance at Rissler. Proctor anticipates bids will go out to contractors July 29th, and bids will be due back by August 15th.
Trenton R-9 Board of Education President Doug Franklin said a special meeting would be held toward the end of August to look at the bids.
A representative from George K. Baum was on the agenda to present building bonds for sale, but he was unable to attend Tuesday evening. The representative is to present the information at the regular August meeting, and the board is expected to approve the sale of the bonds at that time.
Summer School Principal Jackie Price reported on this year’s summer school stating 446 students submitted applications to enroll. That included students from several area school districts who were invited to attend summer school at Trenton R-9. First-day enrollment was actually 378, and last day enrollment was 320.
Price said there were only 19 staff members for summer school, and 99 students had office referrals. She noted students who did not have office referrals were allowed to go to bounce houses or miniature golf at the end of the summer school session. Other incentive grand prizes included a hoverboard and Nintendo DS. Trenton R-9 received a $300 Office Depot gift card from Catapult for meeting the early enrollment target. Catapult is the company that provided the curriculum for summer school.
Price reported there were enrollment deadlines for the other school districts that came to Trenton. Board member Dorothy Taul said she thought it was a “good thing” to allow other schools to attend summer school at Trenton.
The board entered into an executive session for personnel.