More taking free lunches in Kaneland
The number of Kaneland students taking free lunches continues to climb, according to figures to be presented to the school board Monday night.
The report says that 479 students are doing so, a 20 percent increase from last year and 180 percent more than in the 2005-06 school year.
The number of students taking reduced-price lunches has also risen by 80 percent in the last five years, according to district officials.
Free and reduced-price lunches are available to students determined to be in or near poverty, according to standards set by the Agriculture Department. This year, for example, students from a four-person household were generally eligible for free or reduced-price lunches if the household income was less than $40,793.
John Stewart Elementary School in Elburn has the most free lunches for the elementary schools, with 94 this year, followed by McDole Elementary in Montgomery with 64, Blackberry Creek with 39 and John Shields with 36.
The figures will be discussed as the board determines student fees, including those for discretionary activities. District staff is recommending that fees stay the same, in part due to the state of the economy.
The board will also continue to discuss feedback it has received about proposed cuts in the 2011-12 budget, including that it heard from the nine people who attended a community forum on the matter Feb. 22.
The board meets at 7 p.m. at the Milnamow Administration Center on the campus of Kaneland High School, Meredith and Keslinger roads, Maple Park.