Construction for the Glenville-Emmons High School lunch line makeover is expected to begin in June with completion before the end of the summer, in time for the next school year.

The Glenville-Emmons School Board on Monday approved the timeline, plans for the new serving center, the consulting services and the role the district will play in the makeover.

The makeover, which is sponsored by the Minnesota School Nutrition Association and Owatonna-based Learning ZoneXpress, will revamp the old, unattractive high school cafeteria into a fresh, new and clean space for people to enjoy.

Glenville-Emmons Superintendent Mark Roubinek said one of the highlights of the makeover will be a new serving center put out by Duke Manufacturing that will be put in place at the high school. The serving center is a large counter area on wheels that has some hot serving areas, some cold storage areas and a checkout area.

The board talked about re-doing the flooring, the cafeteria tables and paint as well, he said.

The other hope is to try to create a new concessions area in another room off of the gymnasium, he said. Typically the concessions has been in the cafeteria.

The prize package features the following:

Learning ZoneXpress will provide innovative nutrition education posters and other products.

Duke Manufacturing will provide high-quality serving line equipment.

inTEAM Associates will provide a two-day consultation on a critical function like food safety or staff training.

Brandaids will provide staff uniforms embroidered with the school logo.

Cambro will provide new lunch trays, tongs and other serving products.

The district will contribute $10,000 toward the project, he said. Through fundraisers and other means, the district has raised an additional $6,800, which will go toward things like tile flooring and paint.

In the coming weeks, the district will work closely with a team of consulting experts, including design, nutrition and food preparation experts, he added.

They will work with Chris Larson Construction, GNC Excavating, Deer Creek Construction, Glenville Plumbing, State Line Electric, Freeborn Lumber Co. and Christianson Interiors to make it possible.

All of the work provided will be either donated or given at cost, Roubinek said.

“Everyone’s real excited, and I think it’s going to be a real positive, new look for our high school cafeteria,” he said.

There will be a film crew taping the before and after process. The video will presented to national food service directors.

In other action, the school board:

Discussed moving ahead with some preliminary surveys and town meetings to talk to people about having an operating levy referendum.

“The big factor I think for many schools across the state is what happens with the state funding,” Roubinek said. “It’s tough when they’re talking no increase or potentially cutting funds. We’re trying to be proactive and do some planning and look ahead.”

Roubinek said the district is trying to keep its options open.

“If the state does cut back a lot of districts are going to be looking at more operating referendums,” he said. “We’re not going to be the only one.”

After the board gathers and then reviews information about it, it will be expected to make a decision probably in July, Roubinek said. That way if they decide to go with it, there’s enough time to plan a special election for it.

In its meeting in March, the board decided not to go with a four-day school week to save money in the budget.

Roubinek said the board’s members are going to take the time to observe and see how others who make the switch in the school week will do with the change.

Some of the board’s biggest opposition to the four-day option was concern about the longer day for some of the younger students and how that would interfere with evening activities.

“At this time there doesn’t seem to be as many districts moving in that direction,” he said. “We just think right now we’re not ready to do that.”

Expanded the 4-year-old preschool from two days to three days per week for the 2009-10 school year.

Roubinek said the preschool is held in the elementary building, and there were probably 37 preschoolers who attended this year.

Heard a presentation about Study Island, an online program to enrich students’ understandings in the areas of math, reading and science.

Study Island is a program the district purchased probably about a month ago, Roubinek said. Already there are some teachers implementing it into their classrooms.

“I think it is a good program and it will be positive in helping the students do better on state testing,” he said.