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Commissioners grant rest of after-school money to schools for food

COLUMBUS—The Polk County Board of Commissioners decided this week to give the school system its remaining $100,000 for the after-school program to be used for its food program.

Commissioners met Monday night and came to a consensus for county manager Marche Pittman to grant the school system the remainder of the funding.

Polk County appropriated $299,000 this fiscal year for the county’s after-school program. One-cent of the county’s tax increase this year was for the county’s after-school program.

Pittman asked commissioners for a consensus to give the school system the remainder of the funding because of the food program the school system is currently doing for students. He said there is approximately $100,000 left in the funding.

Commissioner chair Myron Yoder said seeing and hearing what the school system is doing to put food and resources out is tremendous.

“I was amazed at how much they have done,” Yoder said.

Commissioner vice chair Tommy Melton said he is 100 percent for giving the school system the money for the food program.

“They have done a tremendous job and I would be all for it,” said commissioner Paul Beiler.

Commissioner David Moore also agreed, as well as commissioner Ray Gasperson, who said he thinks it is money well spent.

“That’s been one of the bright spots during this whole thing,” Yoder said of the Coronavirus. “I thank the good Lord for that. You have full consensus to go ahead with that.”

The school system is providing meals to all students at each elementary school between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. all weekdays.