 |
|
Important Dates
February Claim - Due April 29, 2021
March Claim - Due May 30, 2021
|
Updates! Updates! Read all About It!
School Nutrition Updates
CNPweb - ODE has been working to prepare CNPweb to accommodate all programs of the Student Success Act Child Nutrition Program Initiatives: Breakfast After the Bell; Community Eligibility Provision Incentive "CEPI"; and the Oregon Expanded Income Guidelines "EIG". In the next few weeks you will see changes in CNPweb. Resources and training for these changes are on the way. Please check the Student Success Act webpage for updates.
Community Eligibility Provision -
1. USDA has issued a waiver for CEP applications for School Year 2022. Oregon is not opting in to this waiver. Standard CEP application timelines, including the single enrollment reference day of April 1, 2021 are in effect.
2. Applying for CEP in Oregon has been changed! The Oregon Department of Education Child Nutrition Program (ODE CNP) will conduct the 2021-2022 CEP process differently than in years past. ODE CNP is taking a more streamlined approach to data collection in an effort to reduce the burden on School Food Authorities (schools/school districts).
The streamlined approach will consist of program Sponsors submitting primary source documents to ODE CNP. The State Agency will conduct the matching process and return a file to the Sponsor for review and final validation. ODE CNP is in the process of updating the Special Provisions webpage with details.
|
Our New SNP Newsletter
Welcome to our new SNP newsletter.
We now have the capability to allow other interested individuals to subscribe to this newsletter. If you know someone who is interested in subscribing to the SNP newsletter, simply send this newsletter to the interested person and have them click on this link to subscribe.
If your contact information is current on CNPweb, there is no need to subscribe. Your email from CNPweb will be updated every month. If you move to a different department and have an email change, your email will be removed from the list. Please note: We are required by regulation to distribute memos and updates and since the newsletter is our vehicle for doing that, those listed in CNPweb will not be allowed to unsubscribe.
If you don't receive a newsletter and you are one of the contacts on CNPweb, please check your clutter or junk email folder.
If you have any questions regarding the gov.delivery listserv please contact Laura Allran at laura.allran@state.or.us. If you have questions, regarding the content of the newsletter, please contact Karen Williams at Karen.l.williams@state.or.us.
Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines and Oregon Expanded Income Guidelines (EIG) for School Year 2021-2022
The US Department of Agriculture's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk for the period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 have been released. These guidelines are used by schools, institutions, and facilities participating in the National School Lunch Program (and Commodity School Program), School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program for Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program. The annual adjustments are required by section 9 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The guidelines are intended to direct benefits to those children most in need and are revised annually to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index.
Following that, the Oregon Expanded Income Guideline (EIG) for School Year 2021-2022 is now available for download. The printable 2021-2022 Income Guidelines chart on the School Nutrition Eligibility webpage include the Federal Free and Reduced Price eligibility criteria as well as Oregon’s EIG criteria.
If you are participating in Oregon EIG, please contact the software provider for your eligibility system to make sure they are capable of updating to the new guidelines beginning July 1, 2021. The chart your software providers can use is found on the Student Success Act webpage.
Culinary Workshop Registration
See and Taste What's Cooking with Chef Jessica
Join us for a virtual culinary experience with Chef Jessica. School and child nutrition professionals across Oregon are invited to an hour of inspiration on May 20th at 1:00pm. Watch or cook along with Jessica as she prepares easy, tasty and fun recipes that meet Child Nutrition Program guidelines. Participants will receive tips for shaking up old recipes with new flavors and ideas to keep kids coming back for more.
Remember Chef Jessica from our in-person ODE Culinary Workshops? After earning a degree in culinary arts and working in restaurants and hotels for 10 years, Jessica felt a pull to change her focus to school nutrition. In her current role as a Child Nutrition Specialist with Oregon Department of Education, Jessica has the opportunity to work with program professionals around the state to highlight the amazing work they do to provide healthy and delicious meals for kids. Jessica sees herself as a guide for child nutrition professionals for deeper understandings of the federal regulations while maintaining opportunities for creativity and fun cooking with nutrient-rich, local foods in innovative ways.
We hope you'll join us on Thursday, May 20th at 1:00. Click here to Register
Statewide culinary trainings and this event are sponsored by the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council and the Oregon Department of Education, Child Nutrition Services.
|
 A New Division of the Institute of Child Nutrition
Team Nutrition is excited to announce the launch of the Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN), a new division of the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) that provides school nutrition professionals with in-depth, hands-on culinary training and resources that are foundational for scratch-based cooking and the creation of culinary-inspired school meals that are healthy, flavorful, and student-approved!
CICN Culinary Resources and Events:
CICN Website: Explore CICN’s new website – an online information center that provides School Nutrition Program operators with a means for accessing valuable culinary resources for their program operations. The CICN website serves as a centralized place to store, organize, manage, and share culinary knowledge and tools developed by the CICN, State agencies, and allied organizations with School Nutrition Program operators. Visit the CICN website at theicn.org/cicn.
I-Bites Recipe Videos: Check out the i-Bites Recipe Videos, a series of short culinary videos designed by the CICN to provide school nutrition program operators with topic-based culinary information and resources.
CICN Culinary Webinar Series: Starting April 1st, the CICN will host a one-hour monthly culinary webinar series that occurs on the first Thursday of each month and focuses on culinary topics that enhance the overall cafeteria experience, including “Visually Marketing Foods”, “Scratch-made Salad Dressings and Condiments”, and “How and When to Use Fresh Herbs”. Click here to register for the April webinar!
The MixUp Podcast Series: In this podcast series, Chef Patrick Garmong, Associate Director of Culinary Education and Training at the CICN, interviews School Nutrition Program chefs from around the country to take a peek inside their kitchen operations and see how they are inspiring child nutrition. Check out the MixUp Podcast series at theicn.org/podcast.
Polystyrene Foam Oregon Administrative Rule
It’s been coming for a while, and now it’s down to the final stretch! Maybe you are excited maybe you aren’t, but either way, all school districts are required to eliminate polystyrene food service products by July 1, 2021 unless certain conditions are met for financial hardship or recycling.
This new rule will codify a statute that was passed way back in 2015. It seems like ages ago, doesn’t it?! For this process, we started with reviewing the legislature content on work sessions, public sessions, and submitted testimony to understand the statute and to be able to create the Polystyrene Impact Survey. You may have noticed the request to complete the survey in previous newsletter editions on December 10th and January 8th, or you may have chatted on the phone with staff from ODE CNP to get your answers recorded. A huge thank you goes out to the 183 districts, ESDs and schools that participated in this survey. The results of the survey can be found at this link: Polystyrene Impact Survey.
The next step in the process for this rule was gaining valuable insight from an external advisory group and creating a draft rule. We held three group sessions for our advisory group in January. We had participation from the Department of Environmental Quality, industry leaders, a non-profit organization, and School Nutrition Programs Directors. We want to give a shout out to Debby Webster and Billy Reid for their time and ideas- Thank you! The group meetings were recorded on video and written notes were taken for each meeting. We compiled some information about polystyrene, and in particular styrene residues, which is the major direct health concern for this material. These meetings resulted in a first draft of the rule and this draft was presented to ODE CNP staff and leadership. Meetings were held with the ODE Rules Coordinator, and other staff at ODE who provided necessary insider knowledge on the particulars of writing administrative rules in Oregon. The draft was also presented to the ODE Rules Advisory Committee on March 11, 2021.
All of the valuable input was used to create a second draft that was submitted for the review by the State Board of Education. Here is a link to the current draft rule as of March 22nd. ODE CNP staff will present this rule to the State Board on April 15, 2021 for a “first reading”. After this, the Board will meet one more time on this subject for the adoption on June 17th. Changes can and do regularly occur to draft language during the time between the first reading and adoption, so any specific language or instructions in the current draft should be understood to be changeable at this time, and your input is valuable to this process.
Currently the State Board is meeting online. During the period when meetings are only held via videoconference, the State Board of Education will accept written public comment only. If you have any input on the current draft rule that you would like to give to the Board to inform their decisions is highly encouraged! Submit your comments via email or mail to: State Board of Education, 255 Capitol Street NE, Salem, OR 97310.
If you have any questions or requests for materials, please email ode.schoolnutrition@ode.state.or.us with the subject line “Polystyrene”.
The Curious Case of Case Numbers
A child is categorically eligible for free meal benefits if a member of the household receives benefits from some Oregon Assistance Programs. This article addresses documentation for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). One way a student from a household receiving SNAP or TANF is eligible for free meal benefits is when the household submits a completed application with a valid case number.
In previous years, ODE CNP has conveyed information about the format of valid SNAP or TANF case numbers to process applications for free and reduced price meals. The Oregon Department of Human Services has made some changes to case numbers that Eligibility Officials need to be aware of. Sponsors that utilize online application software are encouraged to communicate this change to software vendors to ensure compatibility with the new format.
Although the Department of Human Services (DHS) has notified ODE CNP that all case number have been updated to a new format this year, households may still use and provide older case numbers for SY 2021-2022
A complete SNAP or TANF application must include:
- Student(s) name(s)
- A valid case number
- Social security numbers can still be accepted as valid case numbers; 9 numeric characters
- SNAP
- 8 character format: 2 letters, 3 numbers, 1 letter, 1 number, 1 letter
- 9 character format: the letter F followed by 8 numeric characters.
- TANF
- A mix of 6 alpha numeric characters; Example: AB1234 OR ABC123
- Signature of an adult household member
More information about determining eligibility for categorical applications can be found in Section 3 of the Eligibility Manual for School Meals, Determining and Verifying Eligibility (Current Edition: July 2017).
|
Direct Certification Corner
Did you know that USDA requires Direct Certification to be downloaded three times per year?
- The beginning of the school year
- Three months after the beginning of the school year
- Six months after the beginning of the school year
Direct certification allows Sponsors to certify children as eligible for free meal benefits using participant data from other means-tested programs (as permitted), eliminating the need for an application. The direct certification process uses information provided by State or local agencies administering Assistance Programs and Other Source Categorically Eligible Programs.
This is also a good tool to assist your organization when considering having some or all of your sites moving to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). For more information about CEP, please visit ODE’s Special Provisions webpage.
|
Procurement
The Formal Procurement Process: For any purchase above the applicable simplified acquisition threshold (State of Oregon is set at $150,000.00), schools must use the formal procurement process. Within the formal procurement procedure, there are two types of procurements: competitive sealed bidding and competitive proposals. When using the nonprofit food service account, school districts must cross reference the procurement methods in 2 CFR 200.320(c) or (d) and ORS 279B.055 or ORS 279B.060 and follow the most restrictive requirements.
Competitive sealed bidding (2 CFR 200,320(c) and ORS 279B.055) involves first publicly advertising an Invitation for Bid (IFB). An IFB is issued after a complete and realistic specification has been written, and when the contract can be awarded based on price. IFBs must be publicly advertised and provide all necessary details, including any requirements such as required meetings and submission deadlines. The public announcement ensures that all potential vendors are aware of the solicitation and the procurement occurs on a competitive basis with all potential vendors on a level playing field. As mentioned in the steps above, bids are received, documented, publicly opened and objectively evaluated. Note that with this procurement process, negotiation of price or terms is not permitted. A firm-fixed-price contract is awarded to the responsible and responsive bidder with the lowest price. A firm-fixed-price contract is one in which the award is made for a set amount of product at a specific price. Depending on the scope of the purchase, the district may award contracts by line item, making awards to multiple suppliers depending on the lowest price. Alternatively, the school might make a lump sum award based on the lowest price when the district is seeking one vendor to provide a variety of products. IFBs are often used for food products that require detailed specifications, meaning IFBs must include specifications for the products which bids are being sought. For example, many districts use IFBs when purchasing fresh whole apples. The districts specify size and variety in detail along with requirements regarding quantities, delivery, or other desired conditions. Because many respondents easily meet the baseline requirements for variety, size, quantity, and delivery, price is the driving factor in the selection. Since price will be the primary evaluation criteria, competitive sealed bidding is an appropriate procurement mechanism. While the award of an IFB will be based on price, the vendor must be deemed responsive and responsible. Often schools include a checklist to assess responsiveness, which may include the ability to provide farm visits, origin labeling or delivery to multiple locations. With any type of procurement, the vendor must be responsive and responsible and be able to provide quality products that meet the specifications.
To procure using the competitive proposal method (2 CFR 200.320(d) and ORS 279B.060), a school issues a request for proposal (RFP). This formal method of procurement allows for consideration of factors other than price. It can result in either a fixed-price or cost-reimbursable contract. Examples of factors other than price that might be considered include technical expertise, past experience, and quality of proposed staffing. The award is made to the vendor who is able to provide the best overall value. Similar to an IFB, an RFP must be publicized and include information about the required goods, products, and services, along with all evaluation factors and their relative importance. Listing the relative importance of all the factors is highly important for the sake of transparency and ensuring full and open competition. Negotiations may be conducted with one or more vendors submitting offers, and awards must be made to a responsive and responsible firm whose proposal is most advantageous to the program, with price and other factors considered based on the criteria outlined in the RFP. Although other factors can be considered, price remains the primary consideration when awarding a contract, meaning cost carries the most weight in evaluation. RFPs often consist of two elements: a technical proposal that explains how the tasks will be accomplished, and a cost proposal that details the price for accomplishing the tasks outlined in the technical proposal. Such a two-step process is recommended to evaluate responses to an RFP. The first step is evaluating variables in the technical proposal. The second step is negotiating the price. The RFP instructions should indicate how proposals are selected for negotiation. Selecting vendors for negotiation can be based on the cost or technical portions of the RFP. The instructions might read, “The two vendors offering the lowest cost proposals will be selected for negotiations” or alternatively, “The three vendors receiving the highest scores on the technical proposals will be selected for negotiations.”
|
 |
Extra! Extra! Read all about it. Newsletters will be distributed during the following weeks. We encourage you to access previous newsletters on the School Nutrition Memos Page:
- Week of April 16, 2021
- Week of April 26, 2021
School Nutrition Program Contacts
Civil Rights
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to the USDA by:
1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
|
