Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Free lunch program vital to schools

It's time for the patrons of the Nevada School District to put their money where their mouths are.

Figuratively.

There is new money available for school districts under the free and reduced lunch program, according to Nevada Superintendent Rick McAfee. Nevada needs about seven more students to sign up and get qualified for the program to double the amount of funding it would receive.

These funds, McAfee said, could be used to meet a lot of different needs at the school, such as salaries for employees involved in eligible programs. Such programs include English as a Second Language and Special Education.

One thing McAfee stressed about signing up for free or reduced lunches, is the family doesn't have to take advantage of the program, and it's completely confidential. No one will see the forms or know who signed up.

But, by getting at least 70 percent of the student body enrolled for free or reduced lunches, the district would see its funding go from $133,000 to $266,000. This is because the program is funded at $960 per student at 70 percent, while those districts with 90 percent enrollment receive $1,440 per student. If, however, Nevada remains at 66.8 percent, it the district will continue receiving $480 per child enrolled.

According to McAfee, if a child is in special ed, requires ESL and signs up for free and reduced lunches, the district could get up to $10,000 per child.

"We could use the money for employees in eligible programs exceeding standards, such as extra counselors," he said. "We could hire a literary coach, math coach or science coach to help the students. We want to hire a literary and math coach."

Such coaches, though, should have Master's degrees in the subject they will be teaching, though a Bachelor's degree will suffice. The special coaches also need to have three years of recent teaching experience in the appropriate area, as well as knowledge of the Arkansas Curriculum Framework. They also should be experienced in adult learning situations and team problem solving.

Other areas the money could be spent include the pre-school program, if it's research based, hiring tutors, qualified teacher's aides, technology for approved purposes and equipment. Additionally, such funds can be carried over from one year to the next if they aren't used. But, the money can only be spent on programs approved by the state.

"Nevada is meeting the standards," McAfee said. "Anything additional we can get will help the students. That's why it's important for parents to fill out the forms. They don't have to accept the free or reduced lunches."

The biggest problem areas, he said, are in the middle and high schools. Participation in the free or reduced lunch program is about 80 percent in the elementary school, but drops sharply at the middle and high school levels. "The numbers don't change, just fewer participate."

It's easy to fill out the forms, McAfee said, and would take about 20 minutes. "There's no list for the public and the information given is not available to anyone else."

Qualification in the program is based on income and the number of children in the family. McAfee said the guidelines are liberal in these areas.

While the funds from the free and reduced lunch programs can be used in several different areas, he said, the bookkeeping is a nightmare. This is because the bookkeeper has to keep track of each area the money is spent in.

Talking about Act 59 of 2003, passed by the Arkansas General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Mike Huckabee, McAfee said it, took is a headache for districts and bookkeepers.

Under the new law school years are extended from 185 to 190 days. However, districts must make sure teachers are paid for these extra five days. To do this, he said, salaries are divided by 190 and must then meet the state required minimum. If the salaries fall short, the districts must come up with the difference out of their operating funds.

"The regulations don't mimic the law," he said. "Act 59 is an educational nightmare."

Another problem area for schools, he said, is the state raised the minimum wage for non-certified employees from $6.38 an hour for the 2003-2004 school year to $6.50 an hour for the 2004.2005 academic year. Again, the schools have to find a way to pay for these raises.