By Nathan Prewett, For the Tribune
LEEDS – The Leeds Board of Education met briefly on Tuesday, Nov. 8, where they revised a policy on meal charges.
Chief Financial Officer Ryan Miller gave his report for the month of September, the last month of the fiscal year. 102.71% of the general fund revenue was received along with 108.40% of the local revenue, up 8.58% from September 2021.
The month ended with an excess of revenues over expenditures in the general fund of $955,223. The unreserved fund balance was $4,094,495.
Afterward, the board voted to renew the camera and security system at the primary school, which is done every four years. Superintendent John Moore said this renewal will come with some upgrades, including clearer images and facial recognition. This could be helpful in the case of intruders.
“I hope we never have to use it,” he said. “But I think it could be helpful if we have to.”
The system will be an estimated $85,000.
The board later approved the revision of a policy related to uncollected meal charges. This policy reflects a national standard from the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During the COVID-19 pandemic, exceptions were made for students to receive free meals, but this is no longer the case.
However, that doesn’t mean that no free meals will be given at all. The policy goes back to the pre-pandemic era, where parents must fill out applications. In addition, students can receive free meals if their household is on SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR benefits.
The policy will be available to be viewed on the Leeds Board of Education’s website. Moore said that the site should be updated by Monday.
In other business, the board:
- Approved extraordinary compensation for employees.
Meetings take place at the Leeds Board of Education Building on 1517 Hurst Avenue. The next meeting date is to be announced.
Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@gmail.com.