By Karen Bossick

Times-News correspondent

HAILEY-Tater tots could go the way of Yugos at Blaine County Schools.

The school district is considering following the lead of St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center in offering a more healthy fare of sustainable food using organic as much as possible.

John Turene, who made over St. Luke's cafeteria fare, is assessing Blaine district schools' needs and putting together a plan. Turene also has been hired to make over the lunch fare for 28 schools in Huntington, W. Va., which has been ranked one of the most unfit regions in the United States.

The generation born after 2000 could be the first to have a shorter lifespan than the one before - in part because of bad food choices, Turene told Blaine County trustees this week.

"I think it's a great idea because it teaches kids healthy choices," said Trustee Mari Beth Matthews. "And it adds words like ‘sustainability' to their vocabulary."

In other action, the Blaine County School Board this week unanimously voted to allow high school students to satisfy one physical education requirement if they are participating in an extracurricular sport for two trimesters.

Wood River High School currently mandates that each student complete two physical education requirements.

Trustee Steve Guthrie said he would like to revisit the issue next year to see if the board might consider allowing one trimester of extracurricular sports satisfy a physical education requirement.

The board also approved a $16 million contract with McKinstry, a Seattle-based firm with an office in Boise, to help retrofit its heating and air condition systems. McKinstry will also be involved in any move to heat schools with geothermal sources.

Going with McKinstry was the only way the school district could pick the contractors that will be used, said School District Finance Manager Mike Chatterton. "By using McKinstry for engineering, we hope we can keep 85 percent of the work local," he added.

Trustee Paul Bates cast the sole "No" vote. Bates said the board was moving too fast to suit him.

"I'd hate to see this preclude other important expenditures," he said.