Latest news with #LeeCountySchools
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Free summer feeding programs throughout the Chattahoochee Valley
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — During summer vacation, many students, whose main source of food is school lunches, go hungry. This is a continuous list of summer feeding programs in the Chattahoochee Valley. Harris County School District – The Harris County School District will participate in a school nutrition program with two feeding locations in Hamilton, Georgia. Meals are available at no cost to any child ages 18 and under. Marion County Schools – Summer meals will available at no cost to children 18 and under. Meals will be available at Marion County Middle School in Buena Vista Monday thru Thursday. Muscogee County School District – The Muscogee County School Nutrition Program will be participating in the Seamless Summer Option which allows districts to provide free meals to students during the summer to children under 18. Stewart County School District – Stewart County Schools will offer summer meals at no cost to children 18 and under. Meals will be distributed Monday thru Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Stewart County Educational Complex in Lumpkin, Georgia. Sumter County Schools – Sumter County Schools will offer summer meals for youth ages 18 and under. One breakfast and lunch per child will be offered per day. Sumter County will offer several meal locations via their school bus delivery. Talbot County Public Schools – Talbot County Public Schools will provide summer meal pick-up for students and non-school-aged children once a week, from June 16th through August 11, 2025. The meal packets will contain a week's worth of breakfast and lunch. Adults may pick up meals for children under their care. Adults must register their children using this link by June 10. In addition to this, Easton Middle School will be an open site for meals from June 16, 2025 through August 7, 2025. Any person 18 or under can come in and get breakfast from 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., and lunch from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday each week, with the exception of June 19 and July 3. Troup County School System – Free summer meals will be distributed to children aged 18 or younger; children do not need to be school-age or attend Troup County Schools. People can call 706-883-1588 to register for seven days of breakfasts and lunches with meal pickups in LaGrange, Hogansville and West Point. Lee County Schools – Lee County Schools are offering free summer meals for any child 18 or younger who is hungry or food insecure, regardless of where they live or go to school. As part of Alabama's 'Break for a Plate' initiative, breakfast and lunch will be provided at no cost throughout the month of June. Russell County School District – The Russell County School District Child Nutrition Program will operate May 27 thru June 26, Monday thru Thursday. All meals are available to all children under 18 at no cost and must be consumed on site. Locations include Dixie Elementary, Mt. Olive Primary, Russell County Middle and Russell County High. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided an additional 'Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder' that is updated every Friday throughout the summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Hungry? Lee County Schools feeding ALL kids under 18 this summer—no questions asked
BEAUREGARD, Ala. () — Lee County Schools are once again offering free summer meals for any child 18 or younger who is hungry or food insecure, regardless of where they live or go to school. As part of Alabama's 'Break for a Plate' initiative, breakfast and lunch will be provided at no cost throughout the month of June. No registration, residency, or school enrollment is required—just show up, and your child will be fed. 'We're serving free meals as part of our summer feeding program,' said Krystal Patterson, Director of Child Nutrition for Lee County Schools. 'Any child under 18 can walk in and receive a nutritious lunch—no questions asked. They don't have to live in Lee County or be enrolled in our school system.' So far, the program is serving around 350 children a day, but staff say that number could—and should—grow. 'We're just hoping to get the word out,' said Patterson. 'We want families to know that we're here, it's free, and we'll feed every child who walks through the door. No one should go hungry this summer.' School nutrition staff say they are prepared to feed more children as awareness spreads and want to ensure that every family in need knows help is available—no questions asked. Meals must be eaten on site, and children must be present to receive them. The program runs June 2–5, 9–12, and 16–18, 23–24, offering a vital food resource while school is out. Meal Times: • Breakfast: 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. CST • Lunch: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CST Participating Sites: • Beauregard Elementary • Beulah Elementary • Loachapoka High • East Smiths Station Elementary 'We serve fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, and balanced meals every day,' Patterson said. 'It's a blessing to be able to provide this during the summer. Hunger doesn't take a break when school does.' 'You can tell which students are food insecure,' added Brandi Hightower, a cafeteria manager with five years of experience. 'I worry about them. Every day.' But summer breaks often disrupt that consistency. 'The summer months are tough. We worry about our kids when they're not in school,' Patterson said. 'A lot of the families who need this program the most don't have access to Facebook, Instagram, or even reliable internet. We need help getting the word out.' Lee County's summer feeding program is part of Alabama's Break for a Plate initiative and is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA also funds school-year meals through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows high-poverty schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Schools qualify based on the percentage of students receiving other forms of public assistance like SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid. Lee County qualifies because Medicaid-eligible students count toward that formula. Before qualifying for CEP, Beauregard had over $20,000 in unpaid student meal debt. The local community raised the money to pay it off. 'We're concerned—cuts are already happening,' Patterson said. 'If the eligibility thresholds drop or Medicaid qualifications change, many Alabama schools might not qualify anymore.' She applauded Alabama state lawmakers for stepping up this year. 'Our legislators have allocated $7.3 million to help fund breakfast programs across Alabama,' she said. 'That's a huge help, but we still need bipartisan support at the federal level to keep nutrition programs alive.' For staff like Hightower, the impact is personal. 'This is my favorite part of the job,' she said, holding back tears. 'It gives me purpose. We have students who light up over a simple meal. They'll tell us we're the best cooks, or that lunch was amazing. That joy—that gratitude—it's real.' The need is clear—and it's local. 'People think hunger doesn't exist in their neighborhood, but it does,' Patterson said. 'Before we qualified for CEP, we were over $20,000 in the red from unpaid lunch balances. The community helped us cover that, but it shows how great the need really is.' If your kids need free meals this summer, the USDA's Summer Meals Site Finder can help you locate a program near you. As of May 30, 2025, the site includes meal locations in the following states: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MO, MS, NC, ND, OR, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV, and WY. If your state isn't listed yet, check back—new states and locations are added every Friday throughout the summer. Please note, the site does not include delivery locations for SUN Meals To-Go. For those services, contact your local meal site directly or reach out to your state agency. To search for free summer meal sites, visit the USDA's official Summer Meals Site Finder. To learn more or find additional locations, visit the Break for a Plate Alabama website or contact participating schools directly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LCS board approves moving preschool to Wicker Elementary
With some discussion, the Lee County Schools board on Tuesday approved moving the preschool from Warren Williams School to W.B. Wicker Elementary, effective for the fall semester. The vote was 6-0 with Carla Hooker absent. Board member Eric Davidson made the motion to approve the relocation, and added, 'I just wish we had done this earlier.' Stacie Eggers, assistant superintendent of operations, made a presentation about the proposal, which is awaiting final approval from the state's pre-K office. The move of 144 students would fit in the ground floor at Wicker ES, which has sometimes been referred to as a basement by school officials. Eggers noted that each of 12 classrooms that would be used at Wicker has a restroom, which is an improvement over the situation at Warren Williams. Wicker ES reopened in 2019 and is currently at 61% capacity, Eggers said. With the move, it would be at 79%. The school has a functional capacity of 921 students, she said. Another benefit is that meals would not need to be bused as they are now at Warren Williams. In addition, a planned $4.5 million renovation that was requested at Warren Williams as part of the LCS Capital Improvement Plan would no longer be needed. Some minor improvements at the circa-1950 school could be needed if the school board decides to use the building. Some options mentioned by Eggers include storage for the maintenance department since the old Jonesboro School burned down or as a parent resource center or family engagement center, which are currently housed at Wicker ES. The latter is used to communicate with the area's migrant community, Eggers said. Board Chair Sherry Lynn Womack asked Superintendent Chris Dossenbach if Lee County would want to use Warren Williams School in the future. Dossenbach said he was waiting for approval from the board on relocating the preschool before speaking to the commissioners about it. GRADUATIONS As part of Womack's report, she noted that Lee Early College students will graduate Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. at the Wicker Civic Center. Lee County High School's graduation will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 29 at Paul Gay Stadium. Southern Lee High School's graduation will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 30 at Cletis Gore Stadium. BUDGET WORK SESSION Davidson noted that the Lee County commissioners are tentatively scheduled to have a budget work session, including discussion of LCS salaries, on Friday, May 30. Davidson did not have a time or location for the meeting.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Commissioners reduce CIP, push back construction, renovations to 2030
The Lee County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved a drastically reduced 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Program that pushes back most projects to 2030. The move dropped county funding for the five-year schedule from $494,033,920 to $406,869,894 based on the recommendation from County Manager Lisa Minter. The CIP provides a master plan for projects covering the next five fiscal years. 'We voted to approve the adjusted Capital Improvement Plan to ensure the board can avoid immediate tax increases during the next fiscal year,' Commissioner Kirk Smith, the board chair, said in an email. Commissioner Taylor Vorbeck, who voted against approving the CIP budget, was dumbstruck at the decision. 'I'm trying to wrap my head around wiping a five-year plan clean,' she said. 'My view is this was a missed opportunity to have the tough, necessary conversations about how we prioritize investments in our county's future.' A public hearing on the CIP was held at a Lee County commissioners meeting last month, and they held a workshop Friday to discuss the revised plan. Projects that will be funded for 2025-26 are a new bus garage and maintenance storage building for Lee County Schools; the rehabilitation of the Emergency Services Training Center's driving track; a public safety warehouse for County of Lee Transport Services (COLTS); and expansion of the General Services office. Funding also remains for work at the Moore Manufacturing and Biotech Solutions Center at Central Carolina Community College as part of the initial agreement with the county. Most of the projects pushed back to fiscal year 2029-2030 or beyond are expansions and renovations of Lee County Schools' facilities, including the Lee County High School auditorium and additional classrooms and a new auditorium for Southern Lee High School. 'The auditorium at the W.B. Wicker School is underutilized and our board deems it appropriate that Southern Lee High School's music and theater programs can utilize this asset,' Smith said in an email. Lee County Board of Education member Alan Rummel attended the meeting and posted his thoughts on Facebook. 'We KNOW that Lee County is growing very quickly and schools are already becoming overcrowded, especially in high-growth areas. The School Board is already working on a redistricting plan, but that will only provide a little more time before additional capacity is needed,' he wrote. 'Now, all plans have been eliminated to address the known-coming growth. 'Without permanent expansion plans, mobile classrooms are likely to become common-place at most (or all) schools within the next several years. I'm told it takes around 3 yrs (sic) for a new school to open its doors after it's approved to begin architecture work ... you do the math on what that could [mean] for existing schools to find desks for students,' Rummel said. Construction of a new building for the jail and sheriff's office also was pushed back to 2030. The current facility has infrastructure problems and is overcrowded for inmates and the Lee County Sheriff's Office, according to Sheriff Brian Estes. The commissioners made the move as the county is looking for state and federal funding to replace the current facility, Smith said. Representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd have visited the jail, while U.S. Rep. Brad Knott toured the facility last week, Smith said. 'We have some preliminary work to do before we can start applying for state and federal grants in order to cover costs for a future law enforcement center,' Smith said. Plans for a new Emergency Services Training Center were pushed back, too. While unable to understand the rationale of approving the budget, Vorbeck said she could only speak for herself and her sense of responsibility to Lee County taxpayers. 'I believe this decision represents a significant setback in our long-term planning efforts. Rather than working through each proposed project and evaluating their feasibility and cost-effectiveness and alignment with the community priorities, the board opted to delay almost everything,' Vorbeck said. She questioned delaying projects to avoid a property tax increase, noting that each year work is postponed, the cost for material, supplies and labor rises. The CIP that was adopted last year holds little importance now and 'undermines' the trust Lee County residents have expected, she said, adding that a difference of opinions is a chance for discussion. 'But what I cannot support are the decisions that ignore the long-term consequences and place our community at a disadvantage for years to come,' Vorbeck said. 'My commitment remains to advocate for transparent planning, fiscal responsibility and investments that serve not just today's needs, but tomorrow's opportunities.'
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LCS approved for stand alone bus garage
It looks like Lee County Schools will be getting a new bus garage in the near future. During the LCS board meeting on Tuesday, April 8, Superintendent Chris Dossenbach said the district was given approval for the stand-alone facility as opposed to a joint facility with the county that was previously discussed. Dossenbach reported that information from an initial '5 on 5' committee meeting between the two governmental entities from Monday. In addition to him, the meeting included the county manager, county finance team and the school finance director. 'I felt like it was a productive meeting,' Dossenbach said. In an email, LCS spokesman James Alverson noted that the current LCS Bus Garage is located at 416 Cox Maddox Road. It has been in use since November 1974. Funding for the new garage would come during the 2025-26 school year, Dossenbach said. During the 5 on 5 committee meeting, he said he stressed the need for additional classified employee funding, noting that school staff provided information dating back 17 years when salaries were frozen during the Great Recession. Board chair Sherry Lynn Womack asked when the next 5 on 5 meeting would be. Dossenbach said none is currently scheduled, adding that county staff want to get through the budget season first. FORFEITURES Board attorney Stephen Rawson noted that LCS pulled in $75,483 in bond forfeitures from July 1, 2024 through Feb. 28. After questioning from Womack, Rawson added that some of the funding will go to charter schools for Lee County students who attend such. Rawson's fees for culling the funds total $12,822, which he said represent a six-to-one ratio. CELL PHONES Board member Chris Gaster reported on the district's Discipline Committee, noting that although only 5% of the student discipline referrals are for technology, 73% of them come from the middle schools. 'That blew me away because I was thinking it would be high school,' he said, noting there were 286 violations in middle schools. 'This is a bigger problem than people even imagine,' he said, adding that 'a lot of that is from disrespect. It all starts in the home.' Operations Committee chair Alan Rummel noted they also talked about that issue, but noted that more discussion is needed for what to do about it. REDISTRICTING Rummel said the Operations Committee approved using the Institute for Transportation Research and Education out of North Carolina State University for elementary school redistricting. Their study would include 'far more than redistricting,' he said, adding that it would include sites for future school construction, along with other information. During new business, the board approved a contract for $148,558 with Bureau Veritas Technical Assessments of Elliott City, Md. for a facilities condition assessment. The report should be finished by August, according to Rummel. The assessment will be used to drive the district's capital improvement and master facilities plans, according to a board document. GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL During the meeting, Dillon Crockett, the district's science coordinator, announced that two 11th grade students were chosen for the Governor's School for four weeks this summer. Addison Tunnard, a student at Lee Early College, will attend the Governor's School East at Meredith College for social science. Larkin McBryde, a student at Southern Lee High School, will attend the Governor's School West at Greensboro College for natural science.
