School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study - II, Outlying Areas Cost Study Feasibility Assessment

APPENDIX D

PRINCIPAL INTERVIEW GUIDE

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Principal Interview Guide

OMB Control No.: 0584-0606

Expiration Date: 03/31/2019

Interviewer instructions: Tailor questions based on information provided from other sources, including prior interviews and your review of any documents received from any respondent. For example, if the school nutrition manager is interviewed before the principal, do not ask about participation in SBP, CACFP, or provision of NSLP afterschool snacks.

A. Introduction

Reimbursement rates for school meals sold in the contiguous 48 States and the District of Columbia are assessed periodically using a rigorous cost study methodology applied to sample of public SFAs and schools. That cost study methodology has never been applied in outlying areas such as [Alaska/Guam/Hawaii/Puerto Rico/the U.S. Virgin Islands]. We are trying to find out if the methodology can be used to determine the cost of producing reimbursable lunches and breakfasts in [Alaska/Guam/Hawaii/Puerto Rico/the U.S. Virgin Islands]. This study is important because an accurate assessment of meal costs in [Alaska/Guam/Hawaii/Puerto Rico/the U.S. Virgin Islands] could be used to adjust per-meal reimbursement rates in your [State/Territory]. The study is not an audit. Today, I’m going to ask you about staff in your school who do any work in support of the food service program in your school but are not employees of the food service department.

We will not identify you or share any information you provide outside of the study team, which includes FNS reviewers. We will store any records you share with us in password-protected, secure folders or in locked filing cabinets, and we will destroy these records after the project ends.

Your participation is mandatory under Section 28 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

In case I miss anything in my notes, may I have your permission to record our call? We will not share the recordings outside of our study team. [IF YES, START RECORDING.]

Do you have any other questions for me before we begin?

B. Off-budget food service labor

1. Does your school participate in the School Breakfast Program? Does it provide meals, snacks, or at-risk suppers through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, or CACFP? Does it provide afterschool snacks through the NSLP?

2. Do any of the staff working in your school, but not part of the food service department, do any work in support of the food service program in your school? Food service activities can include [ALASKA OR HAWAII: distributing or processing applications for free or reduced-price meals;] cleaning food service areas and other custodial services; supervising students during meals; ordering, storing, and transporting food; or other food service administrative activities.

3. Are any wages or benefits of school food service staff paid out of the school district account rather than the food service account?

a. If no: Just to confirm, are all the staff who work on food service activities paid out of the food service account? [IF Q2 AND Q3 = NO, END INTERVIEW.]

b. If yes: For every person who does work in support of the food service program and is paid out of the school district account for that work, will you be able to provide the following information?

• Job title/description

• Salary on any basis, for example, annual, monthly, twice per month, bi-weekly, weekly, or hourly

• Whether or not the person receives fringe benefits

• Amount of time the person works on food service activities, for example, hours per week, or for activities that are performed once or a few times per year, the number of times per year the activity is performed and about how many hours it takes to perform the activity each time

• Weeks per year that the person works for the school

• Total hours of paid leave per year, such as sick leave, vacation, or holiday time

• If applicable: Hours that the person works on the NSLP and SBP versus hours that they work on CACFP meals, snacks, or at-risk suppers, or NSLP afterschool snacks

1. If no: What is the name, job title, and contact information of the person who would be able to provide this information if we requested it in a future cost study?

2. Can you [work with your colleague to] send examples of the records that show school personnel information including job title, salary, receipt of fringe benefits, hours worked, and amount of leave time? Please redact any names, Social Security Numbers, or other personally identifiable information from these records.

C. Closing

4. If the respondent will submit records: I have in my notes that you will share [LIST RECORDS] with me. What is the most convenient way for you to share the records? Would you prefer to post the documents to a secure website, email them to me, fax them to me, or ship them postage-paid via FedEx?

Great. You can post/send the documents by [PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS]. Please send by [DATE]

Those are all the questions I had for you today. Thank you for your time.