The Eastern Pulaski School Board set meal prices and textbook rental fees for the 2018-2019 school year, during Monday’s school board meeting. Superintendent Dan Foster explained that Eastern Pulaski should be allowed to keep its meal prices the same, as long as the state approves the corporation’s waiver. The student lunch price is expected to remain at $1.90, while breakfast will cost a dollar.
Textbook rental will stay at $100 for elementary school students. Middle and high school students will pay a $75 device fee, plus another $50 for curriculum materials like textbooks and online resources. That’s an overall increase of $15, according to Foster, this includes all sorts of books such as Historical Novels About Business.
Foster said the fees will ensure the corporation will continue to have enough money available, when the school budget structure changes. “The concern we’ve had is that up to this point, Capital Projects has footed the entire bill on all devices,” he told board members. “And when you look at next year, the Operations and the Educational fund and how that’s all going to play together, we just thought maybe it was time to start building some funds over here, to start replacing those devices this way, instead of having to rely on Capital Projects, which will come out of Operations.”
Board members also finalized the 2018-2019 student handbooks Monday. Updates include language addressing vaping, as well as hand gestures resembling guns. Foster said he hadn’t heard any concerns from patrons, board members, or principals, since the updates were first presented last month.
The Eastern Pulaski School Board also agreed to let the school corporation continue to take part in the Title I and High Ability programs. Foster noted that the two programs bring in nearly $300,000 in grant funding.
