by Ellie Beman

Bad debts are plaguing Canby’s school lunch program.
Superintendent Loren Hacker told school board members at their regular meeting last week that the total of the unpaid bills for school lunches now stands at $8,659, compared to just $637 for last year.
In response to the mounting deficit, the board considered prohibiting charging by students altogether. That, however, would require cafeteria personnel to throw away food that students could not pay cash for.
“That is not an acceptable solution,” board member Craig Kaddatz said. “We need to put the onus on the parents and not the kids.”
Greg Pederson said he would rather see a dollar limit imposed by the district, “an amount, say $50, that would trigger a phone call from the school.”
Hacker said he believed at least some of the problem can be alleviated by doing a better job of educating the parents about the Federal regulations regarding the school lunch program.
“In order to be subsidized, the student must take two of three breakfast items and three of five items at lunch,” Hacker said. If, for example, a student takes only the lunch entree and milk and bypasses the other offerings, the lunch can actually cost more than if the student took more items.
High school principal Dr. Robert Slaba told the board that second breakfasts are creating part of the problem, as well. “We’re still serving breakfast during the morning break,” he said. If a student takes a second breakfast at break time, he said, that meal must be charged at the adult price, $1 more than the subsidized price even if the student qualifies for free or reduced lunches.
On a motion by board member Kari Harding, the board unanimously voted to continue charging and in another action, to set a $50 per child limit.
The district’s food service charging waiver requires parents to pick up their student’s report cards at the school office if there is an outstanding balance and students with unpaid bills will not be allowed to participate in homecoming, prom or commencement.
The board split on a vote authorizing a third section of kindergarten. Elementary principal Sandi Arndt said a total of 46 kindergartners are expected this Fall.
Arndt rejected the suggestion that perhaps additional paraprofessionals could solve the problem. “That would go against our whole educational philosophy,” Arndt said.
The third section was approved on a voice vote with Alan Saltie voting no and Kaddatz abstaining.
In other business, the board reviewed the MCA-II science test results, administered to fifth, eight and 10th graders last school year. Canby’s fifth graders’ average score of 547.2 was just a hair over the state average of 547.1. Eighth graders stretched their lead to two, 847.4 over the state average of 847.2 and 10th graders fell slightly below the state average, 1046.9 compared to 1048.1.