To School Board: Why aren’t students in five schools getting free food?

At its regular meeting Oct. 28, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education was asked by James Olsen, in a question from the audience, why students in five of the district’s seven schools aren’t getting free food.
Olsen, who described himself as a journalist and freelance writer, said that since five of the seven schools qualify for free and reduced lunches, that means they could get free food for all of their students.
He said he talked to the food service director about it and he said she told him since the entire district doesn’t qualify it was decided not to participate.
Olsen said she told him to ask School Supt. Pete Kudlak about it, so he addressed Supt. Kudlak.
“Why not participate when so many children are hungry?” Olsen asked.
Supt. Kudlak said this was the first he had heard of this and he would look into it and get back to Olsen.
In other business at the one-hour-and-three-minute meeting on Oct. 28, the board:
• Approved the resignations of two non-instructive staff members at Edgemont Elementary School: Andrea Fitzsimmons, after 21 years of service, as of Oct. 17, and Krisandra McKay after two years of service, as of Oct. 25. The board also approved the termination of Jane Stalmack after two years of service at the Administration Building when her contract expired on Oct. 10;
• Approved hiring three employees for the Transportation Department as of Oct. 3: bus driver Jammie Smith and bus aides Bentonja Bond and Bertha Freeman; and hiring three as of Oct. 14: bus driver Andrew Szuma, and bus aides Brittany Bonds, and Brenda Thomas;
• Heard a presentation from the American Heart Association on projects being done in the schools, including taking Healthy Heart pledges. Edgemont Elementary was noted for raising $1,343 for the American Heart Association;
• Heard a presentation from the Belleville Kiwanis Club naming Alexandra Richardson as its Teacher of the Year. Richardson’s name will be on a plaque in the Administration Building and at Tyler Elementary School where she teaches;
• Heard the Van Buren Public Schools Education Foundation honor students who designed artwork and shot a video to promote the Sunset Celebration and Jingle Bell Run;
• Heard building presentations from Haggerty and Savage schools. Haggerty Principal Becky Ross told of the critical thinking skills being taught to preschoolers. Others on her staff told of the STEM Lego and magnet squares provided by the Education Foundation that are being used to increase learning skills. The Savage Elementary School Principal Lisa Preuss and her staff told of their literacy instruction, especially in writing stories, which is raising test scores;
• Heard Finance Director Sara Cortese report that she is working on a budget amendment since becoming self-funding for health care has brought much more reporting and help is needed;
• Heard Special Education Director Karen Johnston report that the files on disciplined and suspended students has been reviewed by RESA to make sure the district is fair. Johnston said the district got a letter from the state saying the district is in compliance;
• Heard Human Resources Director Abdul Madyun report that they have a employee health program for step counting. He said they started with 60 people and now they are down to 50. Participants are cut out of the program if they don’t take the required amount of steps, he said;
• Heard Supt. Kudlak report that the district has a couple more kids than planned. He said they budgeted for losing 75 kids and the Student Count shows a couple more. He also reported that the BHS Alumni Reunion committee donated $500 to BHS for something it needs, possibly for the Fallen Tiger area to dress it up. He also reported he went to Lansing with SetSeg and others to attend a program by a former Secret Service agent on security. He said they were told they do all that work so nothing happens;
• Heard BHS student Amon Madyun announce that the football team begins its playoffs this Saturday at noon at a home game. BHS student Maggie Southers reminded the board of the Oct. 30 KLAA dance at Salem High School which is a charity event to collect supplies for the victims of Hurricane Dorian; and
• Heard discussion by board members of the Education Now event some of them attended in Detroit. The program showed how students can handle anger, among other skills. The program is available on Click on Detroit, WDIV. They also discussed the long lines for conferences at McBride and BHS. Every class in the New Tech hall had a line. They also discussed the use of the timers at the conferences.