WESTPHALIA — At last Wednesday’s Fatima R-3 meeting, the school board voted to raise breakfast and lunch prices by 10 cents, which comes after an increase in milk prices. The district also wants to be proactive now that federal funding for meals has decreased.

Superintendent Chuck Woody pointed out that federal funding for school lunches has decreased significantly post-COVID, and the district is likely to be selling lunches at a deficit during the 2024-25 school year. Woody said the district ended the 2021-22 school year with a surplus of $196,000, the 2022-23 school year with a surplus of $176,000, but ended the 2023-24 school year with a surplus of only $5,000 due to the decrease in federal funding.

Woody said the district is due for a food service audit during either the 2024-25 or 2025-26 school year. During that audit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will assess the nutritional and monetary value of each item on the lunch menu and determine the cost that should be charged for those meals. Woody said he expects an increase in the price of school lunches following that audit.

Based on that information, the board voted to increase the cost of breakfast and lunch by 10 cents and the cost of additional milk by 5 cents. They may later discuss increasing the cost of additional entrees for students and faculty who choose to buy a second entree to supplement their lunch.

Woody also intends to speak with the lunch staff about making school meals more appetizing to students and staff. More meals sold will help keep the cost per meal down. A survey may be forthcoming.

* The board approved the new eligibility criteria for free and reduced lunches set forth by the Department of Agriculture. Increased participation in the program also helps offset the cost of school breakfast and lunch, keeping the cost down for parents and students.

* The school received one bid for milk from Prairie Farms. In that bid, the price of 1% white milk increased by approximately 5.5 cents, and the cost of all other milk flavors increased by approximately 5 cents. Those prices are subject to escalation if milk prices increase.

In other business, Woody noted that construction is mainly proceeding on schedule. He said crews would be “going to be right up to crunch time to get those geothermal wells tied together in the ground” and that he had impressed upon the contractors the need to complete those on schedule. Steel for the gym frame should begin soon.

Board member DJ Schroeder asked for confirmation that all utilities are in place and correct before it’s too late to make changes. Woody replied that they were. He said there had been a minor change to the water service because the city could only provide a two-inch line instead of three-inch. However, the engineer confirmed that a two-inch line would be more than sufficient.

Woody also reminded the board that the cost of connecting the new intercom system to the existing one would be significant, but they are trying to keep those costs as low as possible.

* Board members approved hiring Janice Huhn for Sub Para, Eli Massman for Summer Maintenance/Custodial, Steve Smith for Custodial, Ryann Muenks for Early Childhood Special Education, and Reese Dawson for Aide at the Early Childhood Center. They also accepted the resignation of Special Education Director Kelly Wheelan, who had been in that position for two years.

“It’s a sad move but a good move if allowed,” said Wheelan. “I’ve grown a lot here, and hopefully, I’ve built this staff to continue to grow. Ryann Muenks is a wonderful addition to the staff. She’s just a born teacher.”

* Woody told the board that the bus company had asked him to remove the front row of teacher parking to give the buses more room. “That’s just not an option,” said Woody, who stated that he plans to have more conversations with the bus company about how the buses operate in the bus line.

* The board voted to approve the formation of a girls’ golf club. Woody pointed out that in five years, the club will be able to apply to become an established team, but the cost to the district would not be significant. “The boys have a golf team, (so) we might as well let the girls have a golf team,” said board member Jeff Winkelman. The other board members expressed agreement, and the motion passed unanimously.

* Woody told the board he had received a text with a picture of three former students in white coats. The text said that three Fatima graduates were on the way to becoming doctors and were among 170 students selected from over 3,000 applicants for their program.

* The elementary open house will be held on the evening of July 14, and the high school open house will be on July 15. The first day of school is July 20.

* The tax levy hearing was set for Aug. 21 at 5:45 p.m., followed by the next regular meeting on Aug. 26 at 6 p.m.