TF board makes hires for new year

With the end of the school year comes a season of changes for the Thompson Falls School District. At the school board meeting last week, the board accepted the resignation of teachers Victoria Forkin and Jefferyanne Park-VonHeeder and approved the hiring of Amber Yates to teach kindergarten. Junior high teacher Kelly Wheeler and high school teacher Jeff Wheeler announced their retirement earlier this year.

School Resource Office Bob Thornhill had previously said that he was retiring after the 2018-2019 school year. At the board meeting June 4, Thornhill announced that he was staying with the position for one more year. The board was delighted to have Thornhill commit to another year as school resource officer.

Thompson Falls Superintendent Bill Cain proposed an increase in school lunch prices to the board, which they accepted. In the fall, school lunch prices will increase 35 cents, making breakfast $1.50, K-6 lunches $2.00 and grade 7-12 lunches $2.25. Cain said that he and the lunch staff reviewed state averages and found that Thompson Falls lunch prices were well below the state average provided by the Office of Public Instruction. Cain said to keep the program solvent, the prices needed to increase. At the national level, the average cost for a high school lunch is $2.74, according to the School Nutrition Association, middle school is $2.68, and the average elementary lunch is $2.48. For breakfast, the national average for elementary schools is $1.46.

Also at the board meeting, teacher Chadd Laws was hired to take over as high school girls basketball coach. Jared Koskela will remain the high school football coach, Sandra Kazmierczak will be back to coach the high school volleyball team and Sarah Naegeli the cross country teams.

The next school board meeting and the final budget meeting for the school district is set for Monday, Aug. 5, at 6 p.m.