Lunch deficit is food for thought
By Caitlyn Kelleher Journal Staff Reporter

School committee members met with the Food Service Director Vic Pulnik to discuss a consultant's review of the department and find out the steps that are being taken to prevent another deficit.

Committee Chairman David Christianson said the committee should get regular updates. The committee also asked a number of questions about the future of the food service program.

"We really need to focus on the business aspect of this," Christianson said. "Over the period of three years we moved from a significant surplus to a significant deficit, to where we had to fund it. We can't end the year in a deficit again."

The district had to balance the program's budget last year and they want the food service department to be self-supporting.

Christianson said a decision must be made soon.

"I think that there has be a change in the perception," School Committee Laura Weiderman said. "There is this mindset with the kids that the food is uneatable."

She said it does not matter how good the food is because within the student body the perception is the reality.

The committee agreed the students need to be surveyed.

" I think it is important to reach out to the parents as well and I don't know what the best avenue for that is," Christianson added.

Superintendent of Schools Michael Zapantis said the teachers should also be surveyed because they are not participating in the lunch program.

Victoria Ryan, an Oakmont student, put a voice to one of the reasons that students don't buy lunch at school.

"They know that by the time they get there they'll have to wait in line for 10 minutes," she said. "It's better to eat your own lunch than to shove it down your throat before you rush to class."

Pulnik said he doesn't know whether or not there is a way to shorten the lines.

Frank Colvario, the consultant hired by the district, said that the school should consider

offering a breakfast program.

"You are the only district that is not serving breakfast," he said. "I would estimate a lot of your students are coming to school without breakfast."

He also said that money could probably be made by offering an after-school snack program for students at the high school.

"An afternoon canteen, I think that would make money," he said. "Something that is healthy. Something that the staff can buy from."

School committee member Jeffrey Boudreau asked whether offering a breakfast program would increase revenue enough to support putting students on the buses earlier and Colvario said yes.

Committee members and Zapantis said that Pulnik should look into buying the food through a consortium.

"You might have to initiate it," Zapantis said.

In other business:

Zapantis said the district is trying to raise $2,800 to upgrade the materials for the athletic field. The local lacrosse program donated $500 and the Ashburnham basketball league donated $2,000.

The loam that is being removed from the field is being stored and cleaned this winter and will be used to rehab the fields at Overlook Middle School, Zapantis said.