Students in the Kosciusko School District who have unpaid balances will each be given an alternative lunch that is comparable to regular lunches provided and meets the same nutritional requirements, according to the district’s superintendent, Dr. Zach Bost.
In the first year back from a COVID relief effort by the state, which offered free lunches to all public school students, school districts across Mississippi are facing the issue of high negative balances accrued by students who did not qualify to receive lunch for free or at reduced cost, Bost said in a written statement to The Star-Herald.
The nutritional budget is state and federally supported and is separate from the district’s budget. The district must pay any outstanding negative balances for the nutritional department to remain in operation.
“The district’s negative balance is over $25,000 after the first four months of the school year,” Bost said. “The reality for our district is that this debt could cause a reduction in force, and people are our greatest commodity.
“However, we also understand that seeking remedies that touch our parents’ pocketbooks can be more challenging. Therefore, we wanted to seek a system that was right for our kids, community, and staff, without declining a school lunch for any student. This is where the alternate lunch came into play. The alternate lunch still abides by the exact requirements of all lunches provided: meat, vegetables, fruits, and a drink,” said Bost. “It is still a high-quality meal.”
According to Bost, the district currently uses a system called “My School Bucks” which emails parents when their child’s balance is low and again when the balance reaches negative. The system also allows parents to load funds to support their child’s balance. The nutrition department also mails letters to parents when the child’s balance reaches negative. “Both measures are put in place to support parents, who we realize have busy lives, and lunch accounts can be a secondary thought,” said Bost.
“The Kosciusko School District’s only focus is to partner with our parents and community in an effort to provide our students with an elite educational experience,” said Bost. “We wish to remedy this negative balance situation to avoid unforeseen budget constraints that would take away from the educational experience for all of our students.”
