A reserve-fund surplus will likely bring some new equipment to East Williston school cafeterias soon, district officials said at Monday’s school board meeting.
Districts are allowed to keep three months’ worth of cafeteria funds on reserve, but an annual audit found East Williston’s had $306,000 more than that, Assistant Superintendent for Business Jaqueline Pirro.
To fix that, the district will spend the extra money on new cafeteria equipment, most likely ovens, stoves, panini makers or other appliances. “Anything fun and new that’ll help kids want to eat the lunch or any of the things that we sell in the cafeteria,” Pirro said.
The district has extra money on hand because contractor Aramark provides food service at a low cost to the district, while state and federal lunch reimbursement policies essentially set a price floor that ensures the district doesn’t profit from lunches, Pirro said.
The results of this year’s audit were the best the district’s had in years, school board President Mark Kamberg said.
It came with three other minor recommendations about old capital projects, student organization accounts and the district’s policy on data breach notifications, all of which the board authorized Pirro to proceed with Monday.
The school board also finalized its goals for the school year Monday night, after a full schedule in the fall delayed the discussion of goals.
The adopted goals address continued adaptation to changes in state education standards and new laws; financial management; policy review; improvements to district buildings; and continuing to offer students challenging courses, particularly in science and technology subjects.
School board Trustee Robert Fallarino said the district has an overall vision of continuing to incorporate science curriculum and new technology throughout its curriculum, particularly in its college-level courses.
Kamberg said this year’s goals reflect “ongoing momentum in a positive direction.”
