The Griswold School Board held a public hearing Monday evening with regard to the 2014-2015 School Calendar. Superintendent Dana Kunze said there were two proposed options from which the district could choose from. Kunze said a number of teachers were present at the meeting to outline “Calendar A,” which was voted down last month, and would have had school start Thursday, August 14th. The Alternate start date “Calendar B,” proposed starting school on Monday, August 18th.

When it came time for a decision, Calendar B failed in a 3-4 vote. Calendar A passed on a 4-3 vote. Kunze says most people were concerned with the district starting school earlier and earlier each year, and the teachers pointed out that is true this year, but will likely be different next year. He said school traditionally starts on a Thursday, but August starts on a Friday this year, so that pushes the start date back one-week to a Thursday. Kunze said also that Christmas is on a Thursday this year, and that messes with the Christmas break, as well. He said he expects to see the start date to fall back next year as the calendar adjusts.

Kunze says the fall sports seasons starts August 11th, so parents and kids both are looking forward to getting the school year underway. In other business, Superintendent Kunze said the district’s Boiler and Rest Room projects are coming along nicely. He says they expect to see those projects completed before the doors to the school opens in the fall.

And, the Griswold School Board, Monday, voted to increase the amount students and adults pay for their lunches. Lunch at the Elementary School will go up 8-cents this fall, High School students will pay 12-cents more per meal, while the adult lunch prices are increasing by a dime, to $3.30. Kunze said the prices have gone up just about every year, because the Feds want schools to play catch up to rates that are deemed more appropriate, but Kunze said the Feds are allowing districts to gradually “Step-up” their prices for school lunch menus, rather than taking one big bite at a time.

He says the Feds expect the districts to met the criteria for reimbursement on lunch prices, but until that happens, schools are “Held hostage” and their arms are twisted to make them comply. And, after much community input and discussion, the Griswold School District has changed its motto from a long mission statement, to “Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow.”