Ellwood City Area School District Implements School Lunch Debt Collector

Ellwood City Area School District board voted to implement a debt collector for school lunch monies.

G.H. Harris Associates, Inc. an agency out of Dallas, Pa., will serve as a collector on delinquent payments for school lunches.

Fees will begin for debts from $5 to $99.99 at $16. Rising from the first collection fee, subsequent fees would be $22 for debts from $100 to $300, $30 for $300.01 to $500, $40 for $500.01 to $1,000 and $75 for debts over $1,000. Follow up notices would incur a fee of $7 each follow up notice. Non payments could result in court filings.

The implementation of the debt collector will come at no cost to the district for the services. G.H. Harris will be paid through the late fees on the collections.

This move came after debt began to climb again despite a $21,000 donation by Baierl Toyota of Cranberry Township, which was made in September. Administration reported just weeks after the debt was paid it had already climbed back up to more than $3,600.

Superintendent Joseph Mancini has been urging parents to apply for free or reduced meals. They can do so at SchoolCafe.com. Mancini said if any family needs assistance in filling out the applications, they are free to stop by the school. Mancini noted previously that even when in doubt of qualification parents should apply.

“On average, over 50 percent of the students in the Ellwood City Schools are on free or reduced meal programs and now we are starting to see other students who cannot afford to pay,” he said previously. “We encourage all parents to go online and fill out the free and reduced application because they may qualify even if they don’t think they will.”