Weekly School Nutrition Newsletter

Indiana Department of Education sent this bulletin at 08/15/2018 10:31 AM EDT

08/15/2018

Dear Food Service Contact,

This email provides news for schools concerning the Child Nutrition Programs from USDA and the state. If you are the food service contact for your school or corporation, it is your responsibility to relay important information provided to you about the Child Nutrition Programs to other staff members.

Finance

  • Equipment Purchases with School Foodservice Funds
    • If you are purchasing equipment using school foodservice funds, please keep the following requirements in mind:
      • Any piece of equipment costing $5,000 or more most receive prior approval from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Office of School and Community Nutrition Finance. Request approval by emailing the details of your proposed purchase and estimated cost to SCNFinance@doe.in.gov. Someone on the finance team will respond as quickly as possible with an approval or additional questions.
      • Once approval is received, make sure proper procurement procedures are followed:
        • Small purchases (under $150,000) require at least three quotes.
        • Large purchases ($150,000 and over) require a formal procurement (RFP or IFB).
        • Maintain all procurement documentation on file for review or audit:
          • Approval email
          • All quotes and bids
          • Evaluation or scoring of the quotes or bids along with justification for the vendor selected.
  • Annual Financial Reports
    • With the close of the 2017-2018 school year comes the completion of the Annual Financial Report (AFR). Here are some reminders about the AFR:
      • The AFR is found by entering program year 2018 in CNPweb, then clicking on the Claims/AFR tab.
      • Click Add next to the AFR at the bottom.
      • AFRs are due by September 1.
      • Financial information entered in the AFR must match the financial records for your non-profit school foodservice account.
      • To save the AFR without submitting it to IDOE, click Submit without checking the box at the bottom. DO NOT CLICK CALCULATE…your information will not save by clicking calculate.
      • If you receive errors they will be listed on the AFR. Please read the errors and contact the finance team if you have any questions.
      • AFRs may be returned to schools for corrections. Check back on the status of your AFR periodically to see if it has been returned for revisions.
      • AFR instructions and a sample worksheet are available on the CNPweb Resources page.
      • Click here to access the CNPweb.
      • Email questions about the AFR to SCNFinance@doe.in.gov.
  • Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) SY 2018-2019
    • The USDA Paid Lunch Equity (PLE) Tool for the 2018-2019 school year is posted online on the Pricing Guidance webpage, below Pricing Requirements for Lunch ONLY.
    • Every school charging less than the target price of $2.92 must complete and submit a PLE Tool for School Year (SY) 2018-2019 as part of your PY 2019 approval process.
    • Schools approved for the PLE Exemption do not need to raise their paid lunch prices but are still required to submit a completed PLE Tool.
    • Send completed SY 2018-2019 PLE Tools to SCNFinance@doe.in.gov.
    • Questions? Contact Joe Olivadoti at jolivadoti@doe.in.gov or (317) 234-4378 or Tina Herzog at cherzog@doe.in.gov or (317) 232-0872.

Coffee Break Webinars

  • A new set of Coffee Break Webinars have been scheduled for October. 
  • Topics include: 
    • Smart Snacks for Elementary School, Middle School, and High School
    • Food Safety Basics
    • Food Safety Plans
    • Verification Summary Report
  • Coffee Break Webinars last a maximum of 30 minutes, so this is convenient way to meet your Professional Standard Requirements. 
  • Can't attend the live session? Each webinar will be recorded and posted on inTEAM's Blackboard. 
    • As a reminder, there is only ONE log in per school. This log in information is registered to the Food Service Contact for your school.
    • Questions? Contact Rachel Beach at rachel@e-inteam.com.
  • To register, click here for a flyer with all scheduled webinars and registration links.
  • Questions? Contact Maggie Schabel at mschabel@doe.in.gov or call 317-232-2130.  

Food Safety Letter

  • All sites under a sponsor must receive two health inspections each year.
  • It is the sponsor's responsibility to send a letter to the local health department requesting the two inspections.
  • A copy of this letter must be kept on file for three years, plus the current operating year.
  • For a template letter, click here. Find the letter underneath "Resources."
  • Questions? Contact your field specialist.

USDA - FNS Comment Request

  • The USDA - Food and Nutrition Service recently published a comment request in the Federal Register, regarding the Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review on the Contact Information of Schools That Participate in the National School Lunch Program and Organizations That Participate in the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program.
  • For more information, including instructions on how to submit comments, please visit: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=USDA_FRDOC_0001-1875. Comments must be received on or before August 29.

Missed a Weekly School Nutrition Newsletter? Click here to access previous newsletters!

Please do not reply directly to this email. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this email, please contact Ashley Heller at aheller@doe.in.gov, call (317) 232-0544, or toll-free at 1-800-537-1142 ext. 20544 or contact Sarah Kenworthy at skenworthy@doe.in.gov, call (317) 232-0857, or toll-free at 1-800-537-1142 ext. 20857.