Williston New Public School District 8 is short $1,080 because of parents not paying their children's lunch bills.

Kim Egge, food service secretary, informed the board this morning this has been the worst year in a long time for delinquent lunch accounts. Some are only a few cents to a few dollars short, but others are $10, $20, $30, $40 and $50 short.

"I've sent home letters, I've made phone calls. I'm looking for some advice on how you'd like me to handle this," Egge told the board. It seems it's the same families constantly not paying their bills, and Egge said she asked Williston Public School District 1 officials what they do in the matter of people not paying their lunch accounts. They informed her they have sent the unpaid bills to collection agencies, she said.

About 95 percent of the students with unpaid lunch accounts will be back this year, she said. She also informed the board the district must continue to feed the students even if their parents haven't paid their lunch bill.

Board member Dave Rockstad proposed sending any unpaid bill of more than $10 to a collection agency after contacting the person and giving that person 30 days to pay the bill. The motion died for lack of a second. District Technology Coordinator Scott Egge said the online payment program RevTrak would help in resolving the issue. With RevTrak, there's a discount rate of 3.99 percent and no transaction, start-up, software or equipment costs.

It would be a convenient way for people to make credit- or debit-card payments, or use checking accounts, and there wouldn't be a concern of money getting lost on the way to school if parents sent the money with their children, Scott Egge said.

"The program is outstanding," he said.

The board discussed using RevTrak to see how it works. Board Vice President Debbie Brown suggested using it to try to collect unpaid lunch debt, then re-visit the issue at the October board meeting if many bills remain unpaid. The motion passed, with Rockstad voting "no."