Appendix C23 SFA Director Recruitment Advance Letter (Full and Limited Outlying Areas)

C23. SFA DIRECTOR RECRUITMENT ADVANCE LETTER

(FULL AND LIMITED outlying areas)

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

OMB Control Number: 0584-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

DATE, 2019

[FirstName] [LastName]

School Food Authority Director

[SFA]

[Address 1]

[Address 2]

Dear [Prefix] [LastName]:

[Your/The Guam] school food authority (SFA) has been selected to participate in the Outlying Areas Cost Study, a sub-study of the School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study-II (SNMCS-II). Mathematica Policy Research, Insight Policy Research, and Agralytica are conducting this study under contract to the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Cooperation by selected States/Territories, districts, schools, and contractors is required under Section 28 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. I am writing to provide some general information about the study and to request your full support.

Your participation is vital to accurately assess meal costs. Findings from the study could eventually be used to adjust per-meal reimbursement rates in [Alaska/Guam/Hawaii/Puerto Rico/the U.S. Virgin Islands].

This important study will determine the cost of producing reimbursable meals for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, including indirect and local administrative costs. It will also examine the ratios of revenues to costs. 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 a 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].

All information gathered for this study is for research purposes only, and will not be used for auditing or monitoring. Taking part in the study will not affect Federal meal reimbursements or school meal program benefits to participating households.

Within the next few weeks, a member of the study team will contact you by telephone to discuss the study in more detail, learn more about your SFA, and begin to schedule data collection activities. Data collection efforts include a menu survey and interviews with you, and school nutrition managers and principals at selected schools. These activities will primarily occur between January and May 2020. The enclosed fact sheet provides an overview of the study.

The participation of selected SFAs, schools, and contractors is critical to accurately assess meal costs in [Alaska/Guam/Hawaii/Puerto Rico/the U.S. Virgin Islands]. [AK/HI: I have enclosed a letter of support for the SNMCS-II from the School Nutrition Association (SNA). SNA agrees with me that the data collected through the SNMCS-II will provide critical information for setting policies and planning strategies and tools that can truly support schools in serving healthy meals.]

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this important study. If you have questions about the study then please contact Mathematica at [PHONE] or CONTACT@mathematica-mpr.com.

Sincerely,

FNS Signatory

FNS/U.S. Department of Agriculture

Enclosures

Cc: [Superintendent]