CStudent Nutrition Services Update

1:45 p.m.

With a new Supervisor in place, Diane Buchanan, we are seeing very positive changes and improvements.  Highlights include:

Nanwalek, Tebughna and Nikolaevsk are going into the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) for the 2017-18 school year.  100% of students eat for free and we are able to claim the highest reimbursement rate from the National School Lunch Program.  Less labor at the sites due to not collecting and inputting daily cash.

In February 14 kitchen managers attended a four hour work session to plan next years’ menus.  We surveyed the whole District student population and SNS staff on what they would like to see the menu look like.  We hope to use this new menu to draw in more customers using scratch cooking and less pre-packaged items.  This also simplifies inventory management and reduces the number of items we purchase.

Site by site hands on reviews, evaluating staff hours, equipment, processes – examples include:

Adjusting breakfast at KCHS due to bell schedule change, which could have reduced our breakfast participation.  A mobile breakfast cart was built by converting unused equipment in storage at no cost that can be placed at the bus entrance for students to ‘grab and go.’

At Nanwalek due to limited space, we are purchasing a mobile heated serving buffet to reduce the need to pre-plate and serve all students the complete meal.   This meets the ‘offer versus serve’ requirements and will reduce waste.

Reducing the amount of paper / plastic / foam products used and discarded where possible:

Switching from foam trays to reusable trays at four schools since December at a savings of $4400 (208 cases of foam trays.)

Reducing the amount of pre-portioning food into individual cups and boats has saved 347 cases of cups and boats and $7200.

West Homer and McNeil have opted to use no sporks.  We have provided them stainless spoons that we have had in storage for years and they purchased their own forks with a savings of 100 cases of sporks and $1500.

Piloting a 100% compostable tray made from 100% recycled paper fibers at two schools for the 2017-18 school year.  Working with the landfill and schools to develop composting programs using these.

Asking for, and getting, building staff inputs to reduce overall costs in current fiscal climate.

Using the AESOP system to document vacancies and absences.