FAIRMONT — A feature meant to provide food to hungry kids returns to Marion County Schools after its cessation during the pandemic.
“Share tables are something that existed pre-pandemic in Marion County Schools,” School Superintendent Donna Heston said at Monday’s board of education meeting. “If I take my tray of food through the cafeteria and I don’t want my apple, I can put it on the share table and perhaps another student will want it. It also lessens waste.”
Share tables returned to school cafeterias after Board of Education Member James Saunders inquired about them at the Board of Education Meeting on Oct. 21. The share tables are only one part of the work the school district does to address food insecurity among Marion County students. The Board of Education also renewed its contract with Multitude Foods LLC, which provides a backpack program to the school district.
“Our backpack program, we send goods, materials, food, what-have-you with kids on a Friday so those kids don’t go hungry over the weekend,” Administrative Assistant Chad Norman said. “We’ve done that for years with child nutrition money.”
Norman said the program provides a little bit of food security to a child, so they’re not wondering where their next meal will come from. The program allows students to focus on their homework and not have to worry due to hunger. Heston said 13 schools in the district provide the program.
The Board of Education also approved final payments on two major HVAC projects to the Fairmont Senior High Field House and East Fairmont Middle School. The district used Federal COVID money to pay for the projects, however, the district had to dip into local funds to complete the Field House HVAC project. Heston said the money to finish the project came out of funds left over after the East Dale Elementary roof project was completed.
“We knew from the beginning, we would have to commit some local funds to this,” Heston said to the Board. “The field house project was the lesser of the three bids in those projects, so less money was spent on the field house but we did have to commit some local funds.”
While the board’s new 3:30 p.m. meeting time works well for the board and school administration, Board Member Saunders wanted to ensure high accessibility to the public for meetings with an important item on the agenda.
“I think it’s important that people know if a hearing or something is coming up, we go to 5:30 p.m.,” Saunders said. “We owe that to the people.”
Board President George Boyles took the suggestion under advisement. The next school board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18.