Feeding the children of Bureau Valley
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| Bureau Valley School District cafeteria employee Angie Bohm sorts a load of silverware after the noon meal at the high school. The school board is considering the merits of moving all of the district's food preparation out of the high school and having the various buildings prepare their own food. The district is also looking to improve the nutritional supply of food for students. (BCR photo//Barb Kromphardt) |
MANLIUS — The way the Bureau Valley School District feeds its children might be changing. At Tuesday’s school board meeting, Keith Bolin discussed three possible changes the district is considering, including a possible discontinuation of the current satellite feed system.
The district currently participates in the LaSalle County Co-op for food delivery, and all food preparation takes place at the high school. Meals are then satellited to each of the building sites. The current budget reflects $280,000 for food, $40,000 for non-food items, $187,000 for salaries and $50,000 for equipment depreciation.
Bolin said by changing from the satellite system to cooking on site in each building, additional equipment would be necessary, possibly more than $50,000. However, he said that $25,000 worth of that equipment will need to be purchased soon, anyway.
A non-satellite system would also cost an additional $25,000 in labor costs, but Bolin said it would result in better food at those locations.
No action was taken on that change, but the board did approve adding the CATCH program to the district.
Bolin said the Finance Committee held a meeting on Friday to discuss some of the issues. Jamie Gates of the Illinois Department of Health presented a slide-show for the CATCH program, which looks to improve the nutritional supply of food for students by reducing total fats in school lunches, promoting the use of locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables, and promoting more physical activity.
Bolin said studies show the amount of obesity in children is increasing, which will lead to serious health problems later in their lives.
“We know we’ve got some obesity issues,” Bolin said. “We’ve got some lifestyle issues as far as high cholesterol and the quality of some of the foods we’re eating in society today.”
The CATCH program, which is already in more than 130 schools in Illinois, including Malden and DePue, will provide state funding for start-up, staff training, purchase of curriculum and community activities to involve entire families.
Superintendent Terry Gutshall called it a coordinated approach to children’s health, and said there was no cost factor or extra work for the staff.
“It’s more information to supplement what we do anyway,” he said.
The board also briefly discussed a plan to procure local food for the district, whether it be food raised on Bureau Valley property or in the greenhouse, or purchased locally. The board directed Gutshall to set up an ad hoc committee to meet two or three times, and report back to the board in March. Gutshall said he would ask a few individuals about being on the committee, and that anyone with an interest in serving should contact his office.
Gutshall talked about two pictures shown in the presentation, one of a group of thin children from 1957, and another showing how children look today, and said the district needed to address the problem.
“We realize we can only educate, and things like this are very good,” he said. “But we know that we’re not going to cure obesity.”
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