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Board approves small lunch price rise, new CPR fee and county nursing contract
Summary
The Marlington Local School Board on May 8 approved a quarter‑cent increase in student lunch prices, new course fees including a $17 CPR fee, and a one‑year nursing services contract with the Stark County Health Department. Administrators said the state required CPR instruction but did not supply the funds to cover it.
The Marlington Local School Board on May 8 approved multiple routine operational items: a small increase in student lunch prices, a new $17 health/CPR fee for students, and a nursing services contract with the Stark County Health Department.
Why it matters: the items affect students and families directly (meal cost and course fees) and reflect how unfunded state requirements can shift costs to local districts or families.
Key approvals: the board voted to raise student lunch rates by $0.25 for the 2025‑26 school year and approved the slate of school fees for 2025‑26, which included a new $17 CPR fee and an increase in world language fees from $10 to $15. The board also approved the nursing services contract with the Stark County Health Department; that contract increases the district's annual cost for a five‑day nurse schedule from $58,695 last year to $62,790 this year, a $4,095 increase.
District comments and rationale: during discussion a district official summarized reimbursement mechanics for meal programs, noting that even when a student pays full price the district receives a small government reimbursement: "If a student pays the full freight, we still get money reimbursed. Correct," a board member asked; administration confirmed a partial reimbursement of "42¢" for some paid lunches. On the CPR fee, a district staff member told the board, "They're requiring us to teach CPR" and noted the promised state funding did not arrive, leaving the district to collect $17 from students enrolled in that course.
Votes and implementation: each of the items was approved on roll call with the board recorded as unanimous for the items presented (all voting members recorded "yes"). The nurse contract and the fee schedule take effect for the 2025‑26 school year; meal prices will be applied in the next school year as shown in the district exhibits.
Context and next steps: administrators said the meal reimbursement programs are federal/state‑administered and that the district does not control reimbursement rates. The CPR fee stems from a state teaching requirement that administrators described as effectively unfunded; the district said it will collect the fee for the CPR component of the health course for students in affected grades.
