DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O.
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 43
September 29, 2006
ADMINISTRATIVE
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Billy K. Cannaday, Jr. Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
School
Breakfast Program - State Funding Incentive Payment for Increased Student
Participation 2005-2006 |
The
General Assembly provided $892,020 per year in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 to
continue state funding for the school breakfast program as an incentive to
improve the level of student participation.
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
divisions baseline is unique to its base year breakfast participation. The level of funding is $0.20 per meal served
above the baseline number of meals served per student for each division.
The
current fiscal years payment for the breakfast program is based upon the prior
school years participation data. For
fiscal year 2007, the actual participation from school year 2005-2006 was
compared to the base year to determine the level of funds earned by each school
division. The attached spreadsheet
(Attachment A) demonstrates this calculation for each school division.
School
breakfast program participation in 2005-2006 was 19% greater than the base year
participation and was nearly 7% greater than 2004-2005 participation. The fiscal year 2007 appropriation is not
sufficient to fully fund the incentive payment at $ 0.20 per meal to each
school division. The Department of
Education will reimburse school divisions at a pro-rated rate in October. In the event additional funds are not made
available, the pro-rated payment will remain unchanged. The attached spreadsheet (Attachment A) also provides,
in the final column, the pro-rated incentive payment that will be made to each
school division.
The
state breakfast incentive funds will be paid via electronic data interchange (EDI)
on October 16, 2006. 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.
Attachment
B to this memorandum is a certification statement that must be returned to the
Department of Education no later than December 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 2007,
will have these funds deducted from a future payment for basic aid. This certification statement should be
submitted, no later than December 31, 2006, to:
Lynne Fellin
Acting Director of School Nutrition Programs
Department of Education
Please
direct requests for technical assistance or resources regarding the school
breakfast program to Lynne Fellin, acting director of
school nutrition programs, or the divisions assigned school nutrition
specialist at (804) 225-2074. Questions
regarding the funding formula should be directed to the budget office staff at (804)
225-2025.
BKCJr/LAF/idl
Attachments
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/administrators/superintendents_memos/2006/adm043a.pdf
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/administrators/superintendents_memos/2006/adm043b.pdf