HOULTON, Maine — Free milk will be available for all students in RSU 29, thanks to the efforts of the district’s school board.
Faced with a proposal to raise the cost of milk from 30 to 35 cents for students, the RSU 29 board instead pivoted to a proposal that will allow all students to have their choice of milk, even if they bring their own bag lunch.
All meals for students in RSU 29 have been free, regardless of the student’s family income level, for a number of years. The district made the decision several years ago to cover the cost of meals so that all students would have free hot lunch to eliminate any feelings of insecurity a students might have.
Milk is included with all hot lunch meals, but any students that bring their own bag lunches were required to purchase white or chocolate milk. The school district receives its milk from Houlton Farms Dairy, a locally owned dairy plant in Houlton, at a discounted price.
“Milk prices have been touched by inflation and the economy,” said RSU 29 vice chairman Erica Peabody. “As such, Houlton Farms Dairy has increased the price to the school.”
Food services director Karen Carmichael estimated that the district spends about $200 on milk annually for students who bring bag lunches. That translates to about 667 half-pint cartons of milk per year.
RSU 29 Superintendent Richard Lyons proposed to the board that the district simply absorb that cost, thereby allowing all students to have free milk with their lunches. The board unanimously approved the superintendent’s recommendation.
In other agenda items, the board approved a plan to add five coaching stipend positions for athletics this year. Athletic Director Jon Solomon proposed adding five assistant coaches’ stipends for the sports of cross-country, track and field, tennis and football.
The cost to the district was estimated at $9,000 for these new stipend positions. The money to fund them will come from the athletic department’s gate receipts when it charges admission to things like football, basketball and hockey.
Solomon said gate admissions vary depending on the sport. He used the example of Houlton’s first football game on Sept. 2, saying that game alone brought in $1,200 in gate fees.
Traditionally, the money raised from gate admissions goes into the general fund.
One assistant coach stipend will be added to cross-country. That position is currently filled on a volunteer basis by William Janakis, who also is the volunteer assistant for track and field. Both programs have more than 20 students, making it difficult for one person to oversee all of the students.
The tennis program has had just one coach — Nancy Mooers — for both the boys and girls teams for the past few years. For the past two seasons, the two squads have had more than 20 students combined.
Home matches also prove challenging as the teams are split between two locations — the tennis courts at Houlton Community Park and those at the Gentle Memorial Building.
For football, the two assistant positions will be responsible for the junior varsity program, as well as serve as assistants to the varsity team. There are five assistant coaches and three volunteer assistants with the varsity football team.
