Universal School Meals Program Overview
SB-4 establishes a Universal School Meals program providing high-quality meals at no cost to all students, regardless of eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. The program outlines funding mechanisms, meal quality standards, and reimbursement rates for participating School Food Authorities. Funding is tied to meeting meal quality improvement requirements by 2025. The program ensures access to nutritious meals for students in participating schools.
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Students Success and Wellness Bureau Regional Spring Trainings SB-4 Healthy Universal Meal USDA Updates! By: Michael Chavez, Director Felix Griego, Deputy Director Investing for tomorrow, delivering today.
Senate Bill 4 (SB4) Universal School Meals for Children Summary: Link: https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/23%20Regular/final/SB0004.pdf School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating the national school lunch program and the school breakfast program shall establish a program to offer high-quality meals at no charge to all students. All participating school food authorities shall offer one breakfast and one lunch at no cost to students during each school day to any student who requests a meal without consideration of the student's eligibility for a federally funded free or reduced-price meal, with a maximum of one free meal for each meal service period. Important: All USDA Regulations will remain the same including schools (Standard) collect application and use Direct Certification. 2 Investing for tomorrow, delivering today.
How does funding work in SB-4? School food authorities that meet the meal quality improvement requirements and distribute to each such school food authority an amount that is equal to the federal free meal reimbursement rate multiplied by the total number of eligible meals served during the applicable budget year, minus an amount equal to the federal paid meal reimbursement for eligible meals served during the applicable budget year 1. SB- 4 State funding (DFA) DFA issues Payment PED funds SFAs for school food authorities that do not meet by July 1, 2025 the meal quality improvement requirements established, the department shall distribute to each such school food authority an amount that is equal to the paid meal rate multiplied by the total number of eligible meals served during the applicable budget year. 2. PED Generates State claim and processes for Payment SFAs Enter Federal and State Claim 3
Rates of Reimbursement Examples: 1. SFAs Meeting Meal Quality Standards by 2025 Funding and Budgeting: By August 1 of each year the PED will inform SFAs of the amount of funding they will receive for the upcoming year. Actual Federal Reimbursement Rates State Differential Breakfast Free $ 2.52 Breakfast Reduced $ 2.22 $ 0.30 The PED will use prior year meals served and USDA reimbursement rates to figure out the amount due to the SFA. Breakfast Paid $ 0.35 $ 2.17 Lunch Free $ 4.03 Lunch Reduced $ 3.63 $ 0.40 Lunch Paid $ 0.47 $ 3.16 2. SFAs NOT Meeting Meal Quality Standards by 2025 The PED, Governors Office, and SFAs will work together to promulgate rules which will drive SB-4 implementation and funding. Actual Federal Reimbursement Rates State Differential Breakfast Paid $ 0.35 $ .35 Lunch Paid $ 0.47 $ .47 Note: Rates in example based on SY 22-23 numbers 4
Key Elements of SB-4 1. Meal Quality Purchasing New Produced Food Fresh Scratched Cooked Food Minimally Processed Foods (75% of funds used for this type purchase) Culturally relevant meals Engagement of Family and Community in Menu development Encourage all SFAs to participate in the NM Grown Grant 5
Key Elements of SB-4 2. Maximize Federal Funding: School food authorities shall maximize access to federal funds for the cost of school breakfast and lunch programs by adopting the United States department of agriculture's community eligibility provision or any other federal provision that, in the opinion of the department, results in the most possible federal funding for meals served in that program. Participate in CEP if Site or group is 40% or greater Strategically group schools 4 year cycle for CEP Standard Schools must still do applications and run monthly direct certification to categorize free and reduced students. FRL use for E-rate and Title I along with other programs. 6
Key Elements of SB-4 3. Food Waste: a school food authority shall seek to achieve the lowest level of food waste, which shall include all of the following: A. Students in grades kindergarten through five shall be allowed to have up to twenty minutes of seated lunch time each school day to provide sufficient lunch periods that are long enough to give all students adequate time to eat; and share tables shall be provided where food service staff, students and parents may return allowable food. Allowable food placed on the share tables that is not taken by a student during the course of a regular school meal period shall be donated to students, food banks or other nonprofit charitable organizations." B. 7
Incentivize New Mexico Grown Foods for Successful Implementation of SB-4 School food authorities are eligible to receive an incentive grant pursuant to this section to purchase New Mexico-grown, -raised or -processed products. 1. A minimum of seventy-five percent of funds shall be used to purchase unprocessed and minimally processed products. 2. By August 1 of each year, subject to available appropriations, the department shall distribute to each participating school food authority the greater of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or an amount equal to ten cents ($.10) multiplied by the number of lunches that qualified for federal free meal reimbursement that the participating school food authority served to students in the preceding school year. When calculating the amount of program funding that is due to a school food authority, the department shall assume that student participation will remain at the same level as the previous year. 3. Example: SFAs serve 100,000 meals this school year SY 22-23 100,000 meals X $.10= $10,000 8
Summer Pandemic EBT New Mexico Plan Approved for School Aged Students ONLY USDA making Summer EBT a Official Program in summer 2024 $120/ free and reduced student Issuance to occur in August, 2023 Utilizing End of Year (EOY) district free and reduced data. 10
Summer 2023 Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Guidance The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328), established a permanent non- congregate meal service option for rural areas with no congregate meal service available through the Summer Meals Programs. Linked below is SFSP 01-2023, SP 05-2023, Summer 2023 Non- congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas, February 28, 2023. This memorandum provides guidance on the administration and operation of non-congregate meal service in rural areas during summer 2023 for the Summer Food Service Program and National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option. State agencies are reminded to distribute this memorandum to Program operators immediately. Program operators should direct any questions concerning this guidance to their State agency. State agencies with questions should contact the appropriate FNS Regional Office. For the pdf version, click here: [PDF] For the word document, click here: [Word] Please note, the link provided in Q/A #27 of the linked guidance is currently inactive but will be available shortly. In the meantime, the link below will provide the same guidance for bulk meal distribution. Bulk Meal Guidance, click here: [PDF] This will be flagged in the SSO application if eligible. I 11
USDA Meal Proposed Rules Child Nutrition Programs: Revision to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guideline for Americans proposed rule to May 10, 2023. USDA is proposing a gradual multi-year approach to implementing revised nutrition standards. The proposed rule indicates that USDA expects to issue a final rule in time for schools to plan for school year (SY) 2024-2025. However, the proposed rule would not require changes from current meal patterns to take effect in SY 2024- 2025. As proposed, new requirements to the school meal patterns would not begin until SY 2025-2026, at the earliest. USDA encourages public comments on the proposed implementation timelines, in addition to the proposed changes to the regulatory text. To review the proposed rule and provide comments, go to: https://www.regulations.gov/document/FNS-2022- 0043-0001 You can find the Extension of Comment Period Notice at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/fr-033123 Additional information about the Proposed Updates to the School Nutrition Standards, including webinar recordings, comparison charts, and timelines can be found at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/proposed- updates-school-nutrition-standards 12
CEP Proposed Rule Community Eligibility Provision Increasing Options for Schools. You may register for the webinar here: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_74rPI4iARIa- MZzzOiEGLA Additional Resources: More information about the proposed rule can be found here: Child Nutrition Programs: Community Eligibility Provision - Increasing Options for Schools | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov). The proposed rule is open for public comment until May 8, 2023. The Community Eligibility Provision -Summary of Proposed Rule highlights changes the proposed rule would have on CEP and can be found here: Community Eligibility Provision - Summary of Proposed Rule | Food and Nutrition Service (usda.gov) 13
General Information and Important Reminders Preparation for Budget: Planning Awards NM Grown, USDA FFVP, More information to come on SB-4 Annual Application Deadline May 30, 2022 SNA Conference in June 7-8 SSO Application due ASAP 14
Questions???? Contact information: Michael Chavez, Director Michaela.Chavez@ped.nm.gov Felix Griego, Deputy Director MBA Felix.griego@ped.nm.gov 15
