Lisbon schools rent cafeteria to boost income

LISBON - The Lisbon school district will have an extra $29,000 to work with because of action taken at this week's school board meeting.

First, the board agreed to contract with Nutrition, Inc., the company hired to run the school district's cafeteria system, which would allow Nutrition to prepare meals for the Columbiana County Head Start program. The separate contract allows Nutrition to use the Lisbon cafeteria to prepare the meals for Head Start.

Nutrition will prepare about 23,000 meals annually, with the school district receiving about $15,000 this school year for use of its facilities.

"It looks to be a pretty good deal (for Lisbon), but we'll have to see how it works," said school Treasurer Cindy Altomare, who urged the board to put most, if not all, of the money into the capital improvement account.

The board also abolished the food service specialist position held by Jean Cook, who quit recently, a move that will save $14,000 a year. Cook was the cafeteria supervisor prior to the board's decision to switch to Nutrition Inc. two years ago. She retired and was rehired by the board as food service specialist to sign off on the necessary paperwork associated with the federal school meal programs. School Superintendent Don Thompson said he now will sign off on the paperwork.

In other action, the board hired Club Z -In Home Tutoring Services Inc. of Youngstown to offer a state-mandated after-hours tutoring service to high school students who are failing to make the grade under the state academic achievement program.

Thompson said this is tutoring that has to be performed outside of school and off site. There are 225 students eligible for this particular tutoring program, but only two or three to date have availed themselves of the service.

The program provides up to 23 hours of tutoring at a cost of $1,295 per student.

The school district is required to offer the service because the most recent state report card deemed the district had failed to make adequate yearly progress.

In personnel moves, the board named Scott Rogers seventh grade boys basketball coach, replacing Brett Adams, who resigned before coaching his first game after circumstances resulted in his moving.

The board's next meeting is 5 p.m. Dec. 14.