BRENHAM ISD TO EXPAND SCHOOL VALUE MEAL OFFERINGS

  

Starting in the new school year, Brenham ISD will provide additional options for student value meals.

The Brenham School Board on Tuesday unanimously approved changes to the district’s charge policy.  Currently, students with a negative balance in their account equaling three breakfasts and lunches receive a value meal with their entrée of choice and milk, but any other items like fruit, vegetables and condiments must be removed from their tray.  Now, students will be allowed to keep the fruit, vegetables and condiments on their plate.

Child Nutrition Director Kasandra Davis said the change will increase the amount of money that the district pays back to the child nutrition department at the end of the year, but this will cut down on food waste, save students from embarrassment and allow them to keep receiving important nutrients.

This past school year, Brenham ISD provided approximately 1,570 value breakfasts and 5,165 value lunches.  Those numbers do not reflect individual students, as some could be receiving value meals regularly depending on their financial situation.

The district’s estimated cost per value meal this upcoming school year, with the added cost of the fruit, vegetables and condiments, would be an extra 41 cents per breakfast and an extra 85 cents per lunch.

Click here to view a breakdown of the changes to the charge policy. (The document can also be viewed at the bottom of the page)

Trustee Kyle Hafner asked Davis if the child nutrition department could use its own excess fund balance to cover the increased cost, but she explained that much of the department’s funding is tied to federal requirements, and the federal money cannot be used to subsidize those meal costs.  Meanwhile, the local excess is going toward helping to prevent students’ meal costs from going up.

Davis explained that the district reaches out to the families of students if their account goes negative.  If a student receives five consecutive value meals, the child nutrition department contacts campus administrators so that they can then contact the student’s family regarding the negative balance, discuss the circumstances, and provide assistance if the family wants to apply for free or reduced-price meals.   

Trustees were supportive of the move, with Trustee Tommie Sullivan saying that for some children, school meals are the only good meals they get to have all day.  Hafner said this way, the district is ensuring that all students are able to have access to meat, fruit and vegetables.  Board Vice President Jared Krenek said the increased expense is “very justifiable.”

Trustee Bonnie Brinkmeyer said taking food off of kids’ plates is embarrassing for them, and often times teachers or staff will see that and end up paying for the child’s meal themselves.  She said it does not make sense to deprive students of what they need for their own health. 

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board agreed to use $72,625 in instructional material allotment funds earmarked by the state to purchase the IXL Learning platform.  The purchase includes English Language Arts and Reading for grades 2-12, Math for grades 6-12 and Science for grades 5 and 8, plus test prep and personalized learning plans for grades 2-12. 

Chief Academic Officer Sara Borchgardt said teachers piloted IXL this spring and reported confidence in it helping their students learn and get extra practice on concepts.  She said it also uploads Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment data to create individualized learning paths.

In other items, the board:

• Renewed Brenham ISD’s property and casualty insurance coverage through the Texas Association of School Boards.  The cost for the 2024-25 policy is increasing by $61,347 from the past year.  Superintendent Clay Gillentine said the district is exploring opportunities to work with local providers for insurance coverage, but as it is right now, it would be extremely difficult for a local company to be able to beat the rates that come with being part of the TASB pool.  He said if a local company wants to have Brenham ISD as a client, the district is “happy to investigate that.”
• Approved a budget amendment to move $461,750 out of the district’s Tom Green County fund balance, which totals $944,697, into the Tom Green County budget that is used to pay capital project expenses and make annual maintenance tax note payments.  The district uses Tom Green County school land revenue to make the note payments and other capital improvements to buildings.
• Discussed changes to the employee handbook.  Chief of Staff Christine Johnson said the changes clarify the district’s discretionary leave policy, stating that discretionary leave cannot be used on the day before or after a federal or state holiday or a district-designated holiday of five days or longer, or on days scheduled for staff development or state-mandated assessments.  They also add to the electronic communications section pertaining to cell phone use, saying that employees should limit their use to during breaks, mealtimes, and before or after scheduled work hours, unless there is an emergency or the use is allowed by a supervisor to conduct district business. 
• Approved the district’s compensation plan.  Johnson said there were minimal revisions to the plan, including separation of the child nutrition pay scale for better equity in pay across the industry, and properly reflecting that teacher-certified employees are placed on the teacher pay scale so that they get their step increase each year.