Lunch program is hotly debated

Contracts for the first new school also were awarded.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Warren G. Harding High School plans to reinstate hot cafeteria lunches Jan. 4 -- an unpopular decision with some students.
The controversy erupted in Tuesday's standing-room-only school board meeting, where Superintendent Kathryn Hellweg defended the decision and several Harding students spoke against it.
"For many of our students, the only nutritious meal that they get, and perhaps even the only meal that they get during the day, is their school lunch," Hellweg said.
The average annual income of a Warren family of four is only about $22,500, making it difficult to afford nutritious meals in addition to other household expenses, Hellweg said. Research shows a strong relationship between good nutrition and good academic performance, she added.
She also said low participation in the free and reduced price school lunch program hurts the district's ability to get funds from federal programs, which use the lunch program participation rate as an indicator of need for such funds.
No time for lunch
With their school day beginning at 7:10 a.m. and ending at 1:30 p.m., Harding's students now eat an in-class sack-lunch, which they can bring from home or buy at school. Hellweg said some eat snacks from vending machines, leave school to get food, or simply don't eat. Harding's kitchen closed in 2002.
When the conversion is made, school hours will remain the same, and an optional breakfast will continue to be served at the school at 6:50 a.m.
"There are more downfalls than good points to this," said Andy Rodgers, a Harding junior. The academically troubled district can't afford to take time out of the school day for a cafeteria lunch at the high school, he said.
The average freshman will lose 144 hours of instruction before graduation because of the change, he said, adding that a chemistry class alone will lose 24 hours a year of instruction. Rodgers also predicted a cafeteria lunch would be conducive to more fights among students.
"The object of high school is to get an education and graduate and move forward," and taking time away from instruction isn't helping, said Mary Megan Fisel, a Harding junior. "If we're not even getting enough kids to graduate, why are we taking them out of the classroom to eat when they already have food?" she asked.
Winning contracts
The board awarded Jack Gibson Construction Co. of Warren an $11,163,750 contract as the general contractor for construction of the first of the new buildings -- a $17.1 million, kindergarten through eighth-grade structure to be built behind Lincoln Elementary School on Atlantic Street N.E. That building is scheduled to open in the fall 2007.
Other contracts for the school were awarded to Fire Foe Corp. of Liberty, fire protection, $282,043; W.G. Tomko of the Pittsburgh area, plumbing, $921,888; Conti Corp. of Lowellville, electrical and heating, ventilating and air conditioning, $4,530,500; and Valley Electrical Consolidated of Girard, technology, $214,550.