Page 6 — Thursday, July 27, 2023 — The Hastings Banner
Elaine Garlock
At the start of this week, the site
of the Habitat house on Fourth Ave-
nue had a tall supply of trusses and
rafters on site in preparation for a
future date when the house has some
height to it. At present, the concrete
flooring is in place and there are
protruding cables to be used for
in-floor heating. We await further
developments.
The clever bulletin board messag-
es at First Congregational Church
continue with the latest one using
puns such as “lettuce be kind,”
“squash gossip” and “turnip for
church.”
Pastor Paul Reissman has begun a
series of sermons to highlight sever-al phrases included within the state-
ment of faith recently adopted by
and for the congregation. This
week’s emphasis was “being a
vibrant beacon.”
Bill Rogers’s ice cream place is
getting yet some more inviting touch-
es. There is now a new black canopy
for shade stretching over some of the
tables. The sidewalk on Fourth Ave-
nue has new black chairs and tables.
There are striped black and white
umbrellas elsewhere on the premises.
His business before COVID was all
interior with attractive touches on the
walls. It had interesting furniture.
Now, the interior space is no longer
for customer use. The best-laid plans
of mice and men...Governor’s free lunch program could
negatively affect federal funding,
school administrators say
Hunter McLaren
Staff Writer
Governor Gretchen Whitmer pro-
vided free breakfast and lunch for
every student in Michigan next year
when she signed the 2023-24 state
budget late last month.
The measure will almost certainly
reduce food insecurity among chil-
dren statewide and provide financial
relief for Michigan families across
all tax brackets. Public schools may
also receive drastically less federal
funding because of the measure as
an unintended consequence.
The issue came up at Monday’s
Hastings school board meeting, in
which Assistant Superintendent of
Student Achievement Beth Stevens
outlined how the school receives
federal Title I, II, III and IV funds.
Stevens said the number of stu-
dents who qualified for federal free
or reduced lunch programs in a dis-
trict was one of the primary drivers
for how much federal funding the
school received. Superintendent
Matt Goebel said the school makes
it a priority to get as many families
to apply as possible to ensure the
district receives as much funding as
it can qualify for.
“This is why we ask parents to
apply for free and reduced lunch
every single year, because the feder-
al government identifies on a per
pupil formula,” Goebel said. “How
do they identify students that are at
risk? Well, one of (those ways is the)
free and reduced lunch population.”
Goebel said gathering as many
applications for the free and reduced
lunch program as possible has
always been a priority of the district.
Goebel said administrators arealways thinking of ways to reach
parents and tell them to apply. Par-
ticipation rates are high among ele-
mentary-aged students and drop off
as students get older, he said.
“We really would like them to
apply for it, even if they don’t take
advantage of free or reduced lunch
ever. This is one of the ways that
schools can take advantage of
increasing the funds in Titles, espe-
cially Title I and Title II,” Goebel
said. “We want that number (of
families who apply) as high as we
can so that it increases the amount
of (students eligible for federal) free
and reduced lunch and we can get
more money.”
“The free lunch (provided by Whit-
mer’s budget) is a great thing,” Goeb-
el said. “But at the same time, it may
steer people away (from applying for
federal free and reduced lunch).”
Stevens said she could foresee
Whitmer’s new statewide free lunch
program causing a decrease in fami-
lies who apply for the federal free
and reduced lunch program. Because
students will be getting free lunch
regardless, families will be less
incentivized to apply.
It’s something the district has seen
before. Stevens said the district’s
Title I funds hit an all time low in
2020, coinciding with federal uni-
versal free lunch programs as a result
of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stevens
said the number of parents who filled
out federal free and reduced lunch
applications dropped drastically.
“I think that’s increasingly going
to be a problem for us this coming
year, with the governor’s new bud-
get (providing) everyone with free
lunch and breakfast,” Stevens said.1699 W. M43 Highway,
Hastings, MI 49058.945-1351 North M-43 Hwy.
Hastings
945-1301 W. Green St.
Hastings
945-This information on worship services is provided by The Hastings Banner, the churches
and these local businesses:HASTINGS FREE
METHODIST CHURCH
"We Exist To Be An
Expression Of Who Jesus Is
To The World Around Us".
2635 N. M-43 Hwy., P.O. Box
8, Hastings. Telephone 269-
945-9121. Email hastfmc@
gmail.com. Website: http://www.
hastingsfreemethodist.com.
Pastor Brian Teed, Assistant
Pastor Emma Miller, Worship
Director, Martha Stoetzel.
Sunday Morning Worship:
9:45 a.m. with Kids Church and
Nursery. Aftermath Student
Ministries: Sundays 6 p.m.SOLID ROCK BIBLE
CHURCH OF DELTON
7025 Milo Rd., P.O. Box 765,
(corner of Milo Rd. & S. M-
43), Delton, MI 49046. Pastor
Roger Claypool, (517) 204-- Sunday Worship Service
10:30 to 11:30am, Nursery and
Children’s Ministry. Wednesday
night Bible study and prayer
time 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
ST. ROSE OF LIMA
CATHOLIC CHURCH
805 S. Jefferson. 269-945-
4246 Pastor Father Stephan
Philip. Mass 4:30 p.m.
Saturday. Mass 8 and 11 a.m.
Sunday.HASTINGS
BAPTIST CHURCH
309 E. Woodlawn, Hastings.
Matt Moser, Lead Pastor.
Sunday Services: 9:15 a.m.
Sunday School for all ages;
10:30 a.m. Worship Service;
Senior High Youth Group 6-
p.m.; Young Adults 6-9 p.m.
Wednesday, Family Night
6:30-8 p.m., Kids 4 Truth
(Children Kindergarten-5th
Grade), 6:30-8 p.m. Middle
School Youth Group; 6:
p.m. Bible Study and Prayer.
Call Church Office 948-
for information.CHRIST THE KING
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH (PCA)
328 N. Jefferson Street.
Worship 10 a.m. Nursery
provided. Pastor Peter Adams,
contact 616-690-8609.WOODGROVE
BRETHREN
CHRISTIAN PARISH
4887 Coats Grove Rd. Pastor
Randall Bertrand. Wheel-
chair accessible and elevator.
Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Worship Time 10:30 a.m.
Youth activities: call for
information.LIFEGATE
COMMUNITY CHURCH
301 E. State Rd., P.O. Box 273,
Hastings, MI 49058. Pastor
Scott Price. Phone: 269-948-- Website: http://www.lifegatecc.
com. Sunday Worship 10 a.m.
Wednesday Life Group 6:
p.m.
PLEASANTVIEW
FAMILY CHURCH
2601 Lacey Road, Dowling,
MI 49050. Pastor, Steve
Olmstead. (269) 758-
church phone. Sunday
Service: 10 a.m.EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL
CHURCH
315 West Center Street, Hastings.
Phone: 269-945-3014. Music
Director: Mark Doster. Youth
Ministry: Sarah Boostra. Holy
Eucharist 10 a.m. Sunday.Worship
Together
. ..at the church of your choice ~
Weekly schedules of Hastings area churches
available for your convenience...
Fiberglass
ProductsThornapple Kellogg
schools near completion
on strategic plan update
Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Thornapple Kellogg Schools are nearing
completion on an update to the district’s
strategic plan.
Last week, the TK Board of Education
heard a presentation by Penny Kentish
McWilliams, a consultant from the Michigan
Association of School Boards, which has
served as a consultant to the district during
the strategic plan process that started last fall.
The five-year plan serves as a roadmap to
guide the district in the areas of academics,
learning environment and culture, commu-
nications and community engagement,
finance and operations. The plan is built
around the district mission statement of
“encouraging and developing the greatest
potential of each student,” Superintendent
Craig McCarthy said.
More than 900 people tied to the district,
including school board members, adminis-
trators, teachers, support staff and parents,
provided input toward the crafting of the
strategic plan. That included an online
community survey that was conducted at
the start of this year.
“The board had the opportunity to fill
out the survey (as well as) administrators,
instructional staff and support staff – it was
sent out to everybody in the district, but it
was also sent out to parents as well,”
McCarthy said.
The school board then held a retreat with
MASB consultants in March to discuss the
strategic plan, followed by a separate meet-
ing involving administrators and consul-
tants. Then the district set up a series of
community forums to seek additional input
on the plan.
“We had forums for our instructional
staff and support staff, and then we had a
number of meetings where community
members could come in,” McCarthy said.
“We also had a Zoom meeting where indi-
viduals could weigh in on the strategic
planning process.”
The new strategic plan is intended to
dovetail into a new statewide initiative
called the Michigan Integrated Continuous
Improvement Process (MICIP), which
seeks to improve student outcomes by
assessing “whole child” needs to develop
plans to coordinate funding.
“Every year, school districts have to put
together their school and district improve-
ment plans. There were several different
locations at the state that you would haveto send information (to). Now, our strate-
gic plan will dovetail right into the MICIP
program, because MASB has been work-
ing with the state on this, so that we’re not
doing things two or three times over,”
McCarthy said.
Once the board approves the strategic
plan, the next step is implementation.
“The board is setting those high-level
goals, and now what we’re doing is putting
together the implementation plan to achieve
those goals,” McCarthy said. “The imple-
mentation plan is all how me, the adminis-
trative team and instructional staff will
work to achieve the goals.”
The district’s last strategic planning
update, which occurred in the 2018-
school year, emphasized facility updates as
well as academics. In November 2019,
voters passed a $42.8 million bond issue
for districtwide facility upgrades, includ-
ing additional classrooms at all three ele-
mentary schools and the construction of
the district’s new Early Childhood Center,
which opened last fall.
The district will monitor results in each
of the five targeted areas, and McCarthy
will provide regular updates on progress
toward meeting the goals in the plan.
“This will be part of the evaluation pro-
cess for me (as superintendent). I’ll be
reporting to the board what our achieve-
ments have been,” he said. “I’ll therefore
be going to our administrators, (asking)
‘where are you on this process now?’ Hold-
ing everybody accountable keeps our eye
on ... the end goals.”
The board is expected to approve the
strategic plan at its next meeting Aug. 14,
McCarthy said.Craig McCarthyCounty planners OK Amish
cemetery in Baltimore Twp.
Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
It took two votes, but the Barry County
Planning Commission approved a proposal to
create an Amish cemetery in the southern
portion of Baltimore Township on Monday.
The site plan for the cemetery on a hilly
41-acre parcel, owned by Joseph Detweiler at
8200 S. Broadway Rd., gained passage after
Commissioner Jack Nadwornik proposed
locating the burial site as far away from a
nearby stream as possible in an attempt to
address concerns about chemicals from
decomposing bodies leaching into the water.
Burials would start as far back from the
stream as possible and then move closer to
the water over time.
“If we start the farthest away from that
stream, it will mitigate anything getting into
the stream, into the water,” Nadwornik said in
making his motion for approval.
Nadwornik’s proposal was approved on a
5-0 vote. An earlier proposal gained three
“yes” votes and two “no” votes. Four “yes”
votes were needed for passage.
Junior Dan Lambright and Robert Bender
Sr. presented the cemetery proposal on behalf
of their Amish community. The community
already has a cemetery on Lawrence Road in
the eastern half of Baltimore Township, but
the applicants sought approval over concernsthat some members have to cross M-37 in
their horses and buggies to attend burials at
the Lawrence Road site.
“The community is just getting bigger. We
just wanted another cemetery further over at
the other end (of the township),” Lambright
said.
Detweiler agreed.
“We need one at this end of the communi-
ty, and not having to cross the road (is import-
ant),” he said.
It is estimated that there are about 415
Amish people in Barry County, according to
a 2022 census conducted by Elizabethtown
College in Pennsylvania, which extensively
studies Amish life and culture. Two years
earlier, that population was about 345 people,
according to the college’s website.
Some neighbors spoke out against the cem-
etery proposal.
“I really don’t understand. They have a
cemetery already on Lawrence Road. Our
townships are not that big,” said Scott Adams,
who owns property to the north of the parcel.
“We have one cemetery for all of our township
... I don’t see that there’s a need for them to
put another cemetery right down next to us.”
Concerns were also raised about how buri-
als are conducted – such as bodies not being
buried in a vault below ground – and whether
the burials follow state regulations. But burialvaults are not required by state or federal law,
Planning Commission Chairman John
LaForge said.
Adams then raised concerns about who
has oversight over the new cemetery. Balti-
more Township has oversight over its ceme-
tery, he said.
“It’s a private cemetery,” LaForge said. “If
it’s approved to go in there, they have the
obligation to follow the state of Michigan
rules and regulations. That’s something that
the Department of Health, I would imagine,
would have to oversee if there is anything in
there for them to oversee.”
According to plans presented to the county,
only about 1.1 acres of the property would be
developed for the cemetery. The property has
gone through a perc test before the site can be
developed, County Planning Director Jim
McManus said.
In other business Monday, commissioners
approved a request by Detweiler and his
wife, Dora, to operate a bakery as a home
occupation at their home on East Bristol
Road in Johnstown Township. The Detwei-
lers have been operating the bakery as a
cottage business. Commissioners put in a
condition that the business, which will have
customers coming to buy their baked goods,
comply with provisions of the Americans
With Disabilities Act.Freeport Homecoming
slated for July 29
There will be no shortage of activity in Freeport on Sat-
urday, as the village hosts its Freeport Homecoming event.
Freeport Homecoming will include a 4 p.m. parade,
which welcomes pets (on a leash or in a cage), bikes, scoot-
ers, wheelbarrows and anything else human-powered. Noth-
ing with a motor is permitted in the parade.
The event features a robust slate of activities and enter-
tainment, including:- Car show (9 to 10 a.m. on Main Street) and antique
tractors (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Warren Street) - Automotive swap meet at Blough Automotive, 8 a.m.
to 2 p.m. - Fireman’s breakfast and fireman’s garage sale, 8 to 11
a.m. - Freeport District Library book sale, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Turtle Derby at Blough Automotive (turtles provided),
10 a.m. - Vendors on Warren Street, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Cornhole tournament at L&J’s, 11 a.m.
- Horseshoe tournament at Shamrock, Noon
- Free popsicles at Backwoods Trading Post, 11 a.m. to 2
p.m. - Live music by Dirk at Chop Shop, 11:30 a.m. to 12:
p.m. - Live music by Lew Russ at Shamrock (backyard), 1 to
4 p.m. - Food, games and activities at Heinz General Store, 11
a.m. to 3 p.m. - Historical Society Museum open, Noon to 3 p.m.
- Paint the bug at Blough Automotive, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Good Works Food Sale on Main Street, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Freeport Parade, 4 p.m. start; Line-up at 3:30 p.m. at
Irving and Main - Music on Main: The Blind Squirrels, 6 p.m.
Ron and
Don Avery
90th birthday open house
Because you have shared in their lives by your friendship and
love - we invite you to join in the celebration of 90 years of
twins - Ronald and Donald Avery on August 5, 2023 at Pleasant-
view Family Church, 2601 Lacey Rd. from 2 to 5 p.m. Special
cake and MOO-ville ice cream will be served. A short program
at 3 p.m. They request only the pleasure of your company.“This is why we ask parents to apply for free and
reduced lunch every single year, because the federal
government identifies on a per pupil formula. How do
they identify students that are at risk? Well, one of
(those ways is the) free and reduced lunch population.”
— Matt Goebel, Superintendent, Hastings Area School System