The Waterloo School District will resume its previous requirement that students pay for their school lunches.

Waterloo Superintendent of Schools Brian Charron said the policy was halted during the pandemic as government-provided funds allowed the district to provide lunches to all students at no charge to them. 

With those funds no longer coming in, the district will be returning to its past policy.

“The current status, unless the federal government changes that, we are back to the pre-COVID status of parents needing to apply for and qualify for free or reduced lunch,” Charron said. “It will be a paid lunch for anyone that does not qualify.”

The possibility of supply shortages for the district’s cafeterias also came up at Monday’s meeting due to issues that came up in the past year. While Charron doesn’t currently expect any conflicts, he said suppliers have already mentioned concerns, so the district will continue to order food several weeks in advance.

Charron added that supply concerns might be somewhat alleviated by the return to priced lunches, as some students are likely to want to bring their lunches now that meals are no longer free.

Lynne Mitchell, a parent in the district, also spoke at the meeting to recommend an expansion to Waterloo High School’s honors and AP course offerings.

Mitchell and her son, a senior athlete, recently toured a number of universities and found what many of those colleges are looking for when it comes to college-level classes in high school.

Among her recommendations were adjustments concerning AP math — she said colleges vastly prefer calculus to statistics — and an expansion of AP courses for other disciplines like music and art.

Mitchell added that such an expansion of courses would provide a greater diversity in knowledge for students trying to decide what they want to study in college. It would also benefit those high-achieving students by providing them with appropriately challenging courses.

“The district as a whole provides a wealth of opportunity for students that need special services to allow them to reach their full potential,” Mitchell said. “Equal resources should be budgeted for our highest functioning students across all grade levels so they too can reach their full potential.”

Charron said he appreciated Mitchell’s perspective, and her suggestions would be taken into account in further curriculum discussion – though the district may not have the resources to offer resources like Webster Groves, Mo., which Mitchell drew comparisons to.

Also discussed at the meeting were projects to be taken care of by August.

Improvements to the WHS press box were also brought up. Work is expected to be complete in the next week or two, though district director of technology Nick Hergenroeder mentioned concerns about climate control for the press box given the additional tech.

The board also approved authorization for a contract between the district and Sidebarr Technologies for no more than $53,800 for 200 Chromebooks.

Hergenroeder further discussed improvements to the main gym as well as an additional quote that was obtained for the auditorium.

Some of the district principals also took the time to discuss their Summer Boost programs. Gardner Elementary Principal Jessica Washausen and Waterloo Junior High Principal Nick Schwartz said their programs were going well and seemed to benefit students as an early start to the school year.

The board also approved authorization for a contract between the district and Sidebarr Technologies Inc. for no more than $53,800 for 200 chromebooks.

Additionally, a public notice from the office of the superintendent announced that a tentative budget for the school district will be available for public inspection at the office at Waterloo Junior High School starting 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 18.

A public hearing on this budget will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 19 at Waterloo High School.