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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Despite cuts, no teacher layoffs planned in CVSD

Board voted to increase meal prices

The Central Valley School District doesn’t expect to lay off any teachers this year despite state budget cuts.

Superintendent Ben Small said the district is expecting 10 elementary school teachers to leave or retire, as well as an administrator and secretary. He expects to replace only five of the elementary school teachers of that group.

“We’ve saved $527,000 in staffing adjustments,” Small said. “We’ve made the decision not to RIF (lay off) teachers.”

Monday, at the district’s school board meeting, directors voted unanimously to raise the price of breakfasts and lunches by 10 cents.

The district will keep the same prices for it’s a l a carte items which cover food and labor costs.

For the 2011-’12 school year, elementary school meals will be $1.85 for breakfast and $2.50 for lunch. In the secondary schools, students will pay $1.85 for breakfast and $3 for lunch. Adults will pay $2.10 for breakfast and $4 for lunch.

The last time meal prices were raised was during the 2008-’09 school year.

Denice Kwate, director of nutrition services, said she expects a 10 percent loss of participation in the meal program for the first two months of the new fees, but feels that participation will level out to what it was during the 2009-’10 school year. Once that happens, she expects $51,761 in additional revenue for the program.

The district allocates funds to nutrition services every year and Kwate plans to make the program self-sustainable in the coming years.

The board also decided to purchase a new portable to help alleviate overcrowding at Evergreen Middle School.

The structure, which costs $98,798, would include two classrooms, but no plumbing. It would be placed near the area where the batting cages are now.

That cost, however, does not include electrical hook-ups or the furniture, but does include ADA accessible ramps and retaining walls.

The district has portables at Central Valley High School, North Pines Middle School, the Kindergarten Center, Greenacres Elementary and Greenacres Middle School.