North Thurston: 130,000 free meals have been served since schools were closed
The North Thurston Public Schools board and Lacey City Council met Tuesday evening for a joint gathering that stimulated a wide-ranging discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the district.
One of those topics was spurred by Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder when he asked about the free breakfasts and lunches the district has been serving since schools were closed in March.
To date, the district has provided 130,000 meals at 34 sites, including 13 schools, Superintendent Debra Clemens said. Monty Sabin, assistant superintendent of operations, said the district is serving about 5,000 to 6,000 meals daily.
Other impacts
▪ Superintendent Clemens said she was “cautiously optimistic” that students would return to the classroom this fall. But she also said no decisions have been made and there are still a lot of unknowns. For example, Clemens said the district delivers a lot of students to school by school bus, but how do you practice social distancing on a bus?
▪ Although the district has saved a little money on utilities and substitute teaching costs during the pandemic, the district still has teachers and other employees who continue to work, Clemens said. Personnel costs account for 85-87 percent of the district’s budget, she said. And there have been some increases in expenses because of the transition to teleworking and remote learning, Clemens said.
▪ School construction plans are not expected to be delayed by the pandemic, said Dean Martinolich, director of construction and design for the district. “We are planning a busy summer,” he said.
Voters approved a $275 million bond last fall that will be spent over the next eight years. Priority projects include updating River Ridge High School and Komachin Middle School. Project planning will begin this summer, but work is not expected to happen until June 2022.
Councilman Michael Steadman asked what was being done to protect students from abusive home environments during the pandemic.
“When they’re at school, we can see the warning signs and red flags,” Steadman said.
Clemens said they have specialists and counselors who are working remotely with students that have been identified with those needs.
“That puts me at ease a lot,” Steadman said. “The longer this (pandemic) lasts, the bigger a concern that is for a lot of people.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
