Weekly School Nutrition Newsletter

Indiana Department of Education sent this bulletin at 02/14/2019 02:21 PM EST

02/14/2019

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 Reminders

Requirements for Purchasing Equipment Using Food Service Funds

If you are purchasing equipment using school foodservice funds, please keep the following requirements in mind:
- Any purchase costing $5,000 or more, including equipment or renovation or building project, must receive prior approval from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Office of School and Community Nutrition Finance.
  - To obtain approval, complete the Equipment Approval Form located on the procurement resources website and email it to SCNFinance@doe.in.gov. A member of the finance staff will send the approval back or ask additional questions if needed.
- 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 Form
    - Approval email
    - All quotes and bids
    - Evaluation or scoring of the quotes or bids along with justification for the vendor selected
A copy of Equipment Purchasing Procedures can be found here.
IDOE is in the process of obtaining a State-approved equipment list and will notify you via this newsletter when it is ready for use.
Questions? Contact SCNFinance@doe.in.gov.

Indirect Cost Rates

If your school district (public school corporation) plans on charging the food service program indirect costs for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year, then an indirect cost rate must be calculated by the Office of School Finance.
The Office of School Finance is accepting FY 2020 Indirect Cost Rate applications through Sunday, March 31.
Questions? Contact IDOE's Office of Finance here.

Claims for Reimbursement

Is the amount paid on your claim different than the amount you submitted?
If so, you can go into CNPweb under the Payments tab, and then click on the “+” sign next to the Batch Number at the bottom, and you should be able to see a description and amount for the deduction.
Typically, deductions are due to Food Distribution Program warehouse charges, see below for more information.
Questions? Contact SCNFinance@doe.in.gov.

Food Distribution Program Warehouse Charges

Reminder: Effective October 1, 2018 the State has been charging excessive storage fees for USDA foods left in the warehouse beyond the item’s expiration date. (Schools were notified in the 2018 Indiana Department of Education’s “The Brown Box to Bulk Bulletin” newsletters).
Charges are based on the following table, which represents our average actual contract costs for the current year:

Dry Storage	$.80 Monthly, Per Case
Cooler Storage	$.88 Monthly, Per Case
Freezer Storage	$1.07 Monthly, Per Case

Please note that every case of commodities that you receive has “free” storage for approximately 45 days beyond the date that it is placed in your inventory.
Since our annual survey allows you to request commodities as they are needed, this should allow you to order the commodity for delivery by the expiration date and avoid, or at least minimize, excess storage fees.
Visit the Food Distribution Program's website to learn more.
Questions? Contact Cheryl Moore at cmoore@doe.in.gov.

Nominate Someone You Admire for a School Nutrition Association (SNA) Award

Are you inspired by your school nutrition colleagues, friends, and mentors?
Nominate someone you admire for an SNA Award for the 2018-2019 school year.
- Nominations for the Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Director of the Year awards are now being accepted online by SNA.
- SNA Applications are due by March 1.
- Online nomination submissions are preferred, however, you may print and submit paper forms directly to Sheri Shipp.
Nominate someone who goes above and beyond in all aspects of their career for ISNA Exclusive Awards.
- Nominations can be submitted online for the SUPER Star Service Award, STAR Award, Assistant Director/Supervisor of the Year, Food Service and Nutrition Office Assistant of the Year, and Chapter President Awards.
All award winners for Indiana will be honored at an Awards Banquet on Friday, November 15 at the ISNA Annual Conference in French Lick, IN.
All state, regional and national winners will be also recognized at the Red Carpet Awards Ceremony at SNA’s Annual National Conference 2019 in St. Louis, MO!
Questions? Contact Sheri Shipp at sheri@indianasna.org.

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 Allie Caito-Sipe at acaito@doe.in.gov, call (317) 232-0849, or toll-free at 1-800-537-1142 ext. 20849. You can also contact Ashley Heller at aheller@doe.in.gov, call (317) 232-0544, or toll-free at 1-800-537-1142 ext. 20544.

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