DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O.
SUPTS. MEMO NO.
64
December 9, 2005
ADMINISTRATIVE
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo
Lynne DeMary Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
School
Breakfast Program - State Funding Incentive for Increased Student
Participation |
The
2005 General Assembly provided approximately $1.2 million in fiscal year 2006
to establish the state’s first funding of a school breakfast program as an
incentive to improve the level of student participation in the school breakfast
program. This incentive funding is
available to any school division that increases its breakfast participation
above the baseline established in school year 2003-2004 (base year). Each school division’s baseline is unique to
its base year breakfast participation. The
level of state payment is based on $0.20 per meal served above the baseline
number of meals served per student for each division.
As
with the state support for the school lunch program, the current fiscal year’s
payment for the breakfast program will be based upon the prior school year’s
participation data. For fiscal year
2006, the actual participation from school year 2004-2005 was compared to the
base year to determine the level of payment to be made to each school
division. The attached spreadsheet
(Attachment A) demonstrates this calculation for each school division.
The
state breakfast incentive funds will be paid via electronic data interchange (EDI)
on December 16, 2005. This payment will
appear on the EDI notice as State School Breakfast Incentive Funds – revenue
source code 240347.
Funds
received by school divisions pursuant to this program must be credited to the
school nutrition program and may not be used for any other purpose. The school nutrition program financial
reports submitted to the Department of Education will be monitored to determine
compliance with this provision.
Further,
school divisions receiving these state funds must comply with the following
requirements stated in the appropriation act (Chapter 951, 2005 Acts of
Assembly).
“In order to receive these funds, school
divisions must certify that these funds will be used to supplement existing
funds provided by the local governing body and that local funds derived from
sources that are not generated by the school nutrition programs have not been
reduced or eliminated. The funds shall
be used to improve student participation in the School Breakfast Program. These efforts may include, but are not limited
to, reducing the per meal price paid by students, reducing competitive food
sales in order to improve the quality of nutritional offerings in schools,
increasing access to the School Breakfast Program, or providing programs to
increase parent and student knowledge of good nutritional practices. In no event shall these funds be used to
reduce local tax revenues below the level appropriated to school nutrition
programs in the prior year. Further,
these funds must be provided to the school nutrition programs and may not be
used for any other school purpose.”
The
language from the appropriation act (Chapter 951, 2005 Acts of Assembly) is
provided in Attachment B of this memorandum.
Attachment
C to this memorandum is a certification statement that must be returned to the
Department of Education no later than January 31, 2006. Signing and submitting this statement completes
the documentation required to participate in this program. Any school division that receives these state
funds and does not complete the certification form and does not reflect the
deposit of such funds to the school nutrition program account in their
semi-annual financial statement submitted to the department in January 2006,
will have these funds deducted from a future payment for basic aid. This certification statement should be
submitted, no later than January 31, 2006, to:
Lynne Fellin
Acting Director of School Nutrition Programs
Department of Education
Research
has linked eating breakfast to improved academic performance, an increase in
attendance, and better overall diet quality in schoolchildren. In addition, increased
participation allows school divisions to leverage additional federal dollars
for local school nutrition programs.
Through
the efforts of Governor Warner and the 2005 General Assembly, this is the first
time state funding has been made available for the school breakfast
program. School divisions should continue
to employ strategies to increase breakfast participation in order to be eligible
for continued state breakfast funding in future years for meals served that are
above the baseline. Actual school year
2005-2006 participation will be reimbursed in fiscal year 2007 (contingent upon
continued funding) and it is likely that the baseline number of meals per
student will continue to use school year 2003-2004 as the base year to
determine participation increases.
Please
direct requests for technical assistance or resources regarding the school
breakfast program to Lynne Fellin, acting director of school nutrition programs,
or the division’s assigned school nutrition specialist at (804) 225-2074. Questions regarding the funding formula should
be directed to Daniel S. Timberlake, assistant superintendent for finance, or
budget office staff at (804) 225-2025.
JLD/dst
Attachments
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/suptsmemos/2005/adm064a.pdf
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/suptsmemos/2005/adm064b.pdf
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/suptsmemos/2005/adm064c.pdf