C.T. Plunkett School to Serve Free Lunch & Breakfast
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Adams-Cheshire Regional School District has secured a grant that will provide free breakfast and lunch to all C.T. Plunkett School pupils.
The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act. The 2010 act allows eligible schools to provide meals to all children regardless of income.
Interim Superintendent Robert Putnam informed the School Committee on Monday that Food Service Director Rosanne Schutz had applied and a received a grant through the act's Community Eligibility Program.
"It is a great opportunity, and we are very happy to be able to take part in it," Putnam said. "Rosanne has been working towards these grants for a while ... and I think it is just a great opportunity."
The Adams school is the third in the county to take advantage of the federal meals program. The Pittsfield and North Adams public schools initiated the program last year.
Schools and educational institutions with a high poverty rate, based on a wider range of factors than the current free and reduced lunch program, can apply. The "Identified Student Percentage" for eligible must be 40 percent or greater to qualify; Plunkett's was 50 percent as calculated last year.
The elementary school has about 460 pupils enrolled in Grades kindergarten through 5.
Putnam said the program lasts four years and the district can reapply.
In other business, he said the University of Massachusetts' Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management study of cost-saving alternatives in the district should be complete by January.
"They are quite the respectable group and they do this work all over the state so I am looking forward to the information that will help us understand how to move forward," Putnam said.
Because of financial difficulties, the district has considered restructuring and possibly closing a school. The town of Adams secured the grant funds to conduct the study.
Putnam said both Cheshire and Adams will be cosignatories of the study and he will meet with town leaders soon to gather signatures that will allow the Collins Center to access information from the towns to add to the study.
School Committee member Stephan Vigna asked if there will be benchmarks when the School Committee can be informed on its progress.
Putnam said this will be possible and that there will be a kick-off meeting this month August for center representatives to meet with school administrators and staff.
He said a review of operating costs, revenue sources and a budget comparison to similar communities should be complete by the end of the month.
School Committee member Darlene Rodowicz asked if the Collins Center could address what would happen to the Plunkett free lunch and breakfast program if a school were to close.
Putnam said the program is based on population and he will ask the Collins Center to include it in the study.
Tags: ACRSD, Plunkett, school lunch,
