FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 3, 2022
Superintendent Elsie Arntzen Offering More Flexibilities to Provide School Lunch and Breakfast Programs
State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen is partnering with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide assistance funds to help Montana overcome school nutrition supply chain challenges. This adds to the existing flexibilities that the Superintendent already requested through Federal waivers for school meals for Montana students. Montana will receive a total of $5,159,810 from USDA in funding relief for our schools in three flexible opportunities:
- Supply Chain Assistance funds are provided to districts to purchase foods.
- Additional USDA Foods to be available for districts to order.
- Local foods through State agreements with local producers and/or processors.
"The chain supply crisis is a concern for all, especially our Montana schools," Superintendent Elsie Arntzen expressed. "However, here's an opportunity for local schools to use this funding to ensure our students are consistently receiving the nutrition needed to prioritize learning. I am particularly pleased with the focus through local farm-to-school foods to showcase our great Montana producers.”
Of the $5,159,810 funding from the USDA, Montana will receive a total of $3,639,90 for school districts to purchase unprocessed and minimally processed domestic food such as fresh fruit, milk, cheese, frozen vegetables, and ground meat. Montana Office of Public Instruction School Nutrition staff will allocate the funds to districts based on student enrollment with a minimum amount of $5,000 per district. An additional $791,922 entitlement will be available in additional USDA Food products. The third funding flexibly of $727,981 will be used by the OPI to purchase local products to aid in building a competitive, sustainable local food chain.
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Questions? Contact:
Dennison Rivera, Communications Director
Brian.O'Leary, Deputy Communications Director
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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