School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study-II, Outlying Areas Cost Study Feasibility Reassessment - SAs, SFA Directors, District Business Managers, School Nutrition Managers, and School Principals (SLT)

APPENDIX I

STATE CN AGENCY DIRECTOR RECRUITING EMAIL

This page has been left blank for double-sided copying.

Note: The burden associated with gathering and submitting the requested documents is included in the disclosure statement on Appendix B. The document request will be limited to documents that were not provided at the SFA level.

OMB Control No.: 0584-0606

Expiration Date: 03/31/2019

Dear [State CN Agency Director Name]:

This email is to request your assistance with the Outlying Areas Cost Study Feasibility Reassessment. As you may remember from the correspondence the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office recently sent you, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research and its partner, Insight Policy Research, to assess the extent of information available about the costs of producing reimbursable meals for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program and update the information gathered in 2018. This study is important because an accurate assessment of meal costs could help adjust per-meal reimbursement rates in [Puerto Rico/the U.S. Virgin Islands]. Today I am contacting you with two requests.

1. Schedule a face-to-face interview

I’d like to schedule a face-to-face interview with you [USVI:, the Virgin Islands Division of Finance Director of Accounting and Financial Reporting, and the Virgin Islands Department of Education Chief of Staff] between [Date] and [Date], 2019. We are visiting [Puerto Rico/the U.S. Virgin Islands] during this time to interview State, school food authority (SFA), and school staff. The purpose of the interview with you [USVI: and your colleagues] is to find out about the records your State agency keeps about [SFA Name(s)]’s [meal production and planning, food prices, non-reimbursable foods, the staff who work on food service activities, and indirect costs]. The interview could take up to one hour. Below, I listed three potential dates and times for the interview. I will call in a few days to finalize a date and time.

• [FILL]

• [FILL]

• [FILL]

2. Gather documents

We would like to review some of the records your agency keeps about [SFA Name(s)] before the interview. Please start to gather the available records now. Gathering and submitting the documents could take up to 30 minutes. If your agency does not maintain some of these documents, we will request them from the SFA(s). When I call you, I will provide instructions for sharing documents through a secure website.

• Audited and unaudited revenue and expenditure statements for [the/each] SFA from fiscal year 2017–2018 or, if those are not available, audited and unaudited revenue and expenditure statements for 2016–2017

• Completed daily production records that document the foods that were prepared for and served in reimbursable meals each day for a typical school week for the following schools: [FILL]

• Documentation that identifies the cost categories and support functions included in the district’s indirect cost rate(s) or cost allocation plan(s), such as documentation submitted to the State Department of Education for approval

• If applicable, [the/each] SFA’s cycle menu(s)

• If applicable, [the/each] SFA’s food service management company contract

• If applicable, [the/each] SFA’s food service employees union contract

In addition, please gather examples of the following:

• Records of food purchases, such as invoices, delivery slips, or monthly vendor statements, that show the item, unit size, price per unit, and quantity obtained; please gather an example from each of [the/each] SFA’s suppliers, including all vendors, USDA Foods, and, if applicable, DoD Fresh

• Standardized recipes for foods prepared from scratch

• Records for SFA personnel and personnel in the selected schools (listed above) who work on food service activities and are paid out of the food service account

  • These records should show job title, salary, hours worked, amount of leave time, and amount of time spent on food service activities. Please redact any names, Social Security Numbers, or other personally identifiable information from these records.

• Records for district personnel and personnel in the selected schools (listed above) who work on food service activities but are paid out of the district account rather than the food service account

  • These records should show job title, salary, hours worked, amount of leave time, and amount of time spent on food service activities. Please redact any names, Social Security Numbers, or other personally identifiable information from these records.

• If applicable, records of non-reimbursable foods sales (for example, adult meals or items that are sold a la carte in the cafeteria or elsewhere in school, such as in vending machines, school stores, food carts, or snack bars)

This assessment is not an audit. Under Section 28 of the Richard B. Russell Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, State, SFA, and school cooperation is mandatory. Please email or call me if you have any questions about the Outlying Areas Cost Study Feasibility Reassessment. I can be reached at [Email Address] or [Telephone Number]. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation.

Sincerely,

[Recruiter Name]