District 21 increasing school fees, changing lunch provider
The Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 board of education approved increasing student fees for the 2015-2016 school year at Thursday's board meeting.
The board voted to increase student fees by $10 for kids in first through fifth grades and increase student fees by $5 for kindergarten and middle school students, with officials saying it would make fees consistent with surrounding districts. Student fees for grades 1 to 5 will be increased by another $10 for the 2016-2017 school year.
Patricia McAndrews, assistant superintendent of finance and operations, said officials surveyed local school districts and learned the district's school fees are currently below average.
The increase is expected to raise about $20,000, district spokeswoman Kara Beach said.
Current fees, which include the cost of books and other materials related to the curriculum, are $50 in kindergarten, $60 for grades 1 to 5, and $100 for grades 6 to 8, according to Beach.
The board also approved a contract with a new food service vendor, called OrganicLife LLC, which was the lowest bidder at $1,542,708. For the past 10 years, the district's food service vendor was Chartwells. The district is required to bid these services a minimum of every five years.
McAndrews said that by selecting OrganicLife LLC, the district will see a savings of $130,000 during the first year.
A representative of the company said it serves more than 800 clients, including schools, hospitals and hotels, and focuses on serving fresh food made from scratch.
McAndrews said school officials would like to see an increase in the numbers of those who purchase lunches, and who receive free and reduced-price lunches.
There are 3,731 students eligible for the free lunch program and about 72 percent participate. For the reduced-price program, 237 students are eligible and 69 percent participate. For the paid lunch program, 2,416 students are eligible and about 27 percent participate.
"Participation has increased at other school districts that use OrganicLife," Beach said. Beach said the hope is that will also happen at District 21.