Description General Function Structure Our mission is to improve student achievement through nutrition. The function of the Allen ISD Department is to provide a wide variety of nutritious and appetizing food choices for all students at breakfast and at lunch thus improving student achievement through nutrition. Meals provided at all schools meet the student's nutrient needs as well as food preferences and tastes for that age group. * Full service cafeterias at 18 campuses prepare all foods on-site. * Sack lunches are prepared for Dillard students and transported from Boyd Elementary. * AHS serves students at seven food court concepts, plus a corner café, snack bar and pastry shop. * Lowery Freshman Center serves students at five different food court concepts. * Middle schools serve students at three to four different food court concepts. * Elementary schools offer three entrees along with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, fruit juice and low fat/skim milk. Funding: The Fund operates similar to a business entity. All expenditures are supported by revenues generated by the program. * Federal reimbursement for qualifying meals = 15% of total revenue. * USDA commodity entitlement = 4% of total revenue. * Sales of meals and ala carte items = 75% of total revenue. * Manufacturer rebates, catering, interest on fund balance = 6% of total revenue. Page 1 of 10
Description Staffing The Department employs 80 full-time staff and 49 part-time staff, as well as a substitute pool. Cafeterias are managed on-site by a Cafeteria Manager with both full-time and part-time employees. Staffing is primarily based on "meals per hour" labor calculations. Industry standards, as well as cashiering needs, are considered when staffing a kitchen. Avg. Meals per day 18000 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 9904 18.11 11588 19.25 Productivity 21.27 20.32 14300 12968 15188 20.42 22 21.5 15738 21 20.5 20 19.23 19.5 19 18.5 18 17.5 17 Avg. Labor Hrs. per day 0 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 16.5 Average Meals per Day Average Meals per Labor Hour School staff are supported by a district office staff of six full-time employees who perform all functions of a business operation including: * menu and recipe development * purchasing, accounts payable * human resource functions including recruiting, hiring, and training * software maintenance for point-of-sale, student accounts, purchasing and perpetual inventory * meal application processing * nutritional analysis of menus, virtual cafeteria * on-site supervision, catering, concessions Page 2 of 10
Description Students Served Breakfast and lunch are offered on all campuses. Student participation increases with enrollment. 18000 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 Total Meals vs ADA 15188 15800 1573816150 15073 14013 14300 13100 12968 11959 11588 9904 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 Average Meals per Day Average Daily Attendance Page 3 of 10
Quality Effectiveness Indicators Effectiveness Efficiency Nutritionally balanced meals are served to all students. * The Department adheres to regulations from the United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture. * The Nutrient Standard Menu Planning System is used so ensure compliance with Dietary Guidelines and the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy. * Meals are provided in age-appropriate serving sizes. * Lunch provides 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories with no more than 30% of the calories from fat and less than 10% of calories from saturated fat. * Breakfast provides 1/4 of the RDA for the same nutrients. * A wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and low fat dairy products are offered at all points of service. * Entrée choices include items that contain lean meats and low fat dairy. * Research has shown that students who purchase school lunch consume twice the servings of fruits and vegetables and greater amounts of grains and dairy as well as 29% fewer calories. The Department operates a fiscally responsible program. * All expenses incurred by the Program are covered by revenue generated by funding sources identified in this report. Therefore, local tax dollars are used only to fund education. The budget (over $6 million) is the equivalent of 100 teachers. Page 4 of 10
Quality Effectiveness Indicators Efficiency (Cont'd) * Meals are economically priced for the nutritional value provided. 2007-08 Elementary Lunch Price Comparison Allen G'vine-C'ville Wylie Rockwall Richardson Lovejoy Frisco CFB Plano Coppell Denton $1.85 $1.85 $1.90 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00 $2.15 $2.25 $2.25 * Funds generated in excess of expenses are used to renovate kitchens and serving areas. Ford Middle School is being renovated ithis summer and will feature four concepts in a food court. * Rountree, Boyd, Reed and Lowery have also been renovated by the Department. Compliant The Department is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Texas Department of Agriculture(TDA), and the City of Allen Environmental Services Department. * Regulations from USDA and TDA stipulate the method of service to be provided to economically disadvantaged students. * Confidentiality of economics status is maintained through a point-of-sale system. All students use a PIN or ID badge to access their account. Therefore, all students appear to be paying for a meal by accessing their account. * Students without sufficient funds in their account may charge up to $4.00 in elementary school and up to $3.00 in middle school. * Students are notified of their account balance by the cashier at the end of the sale. * Parents are notified of low account balances through nightly School Messenger telephone calls as well as by the use of an online payment system. * In 2007-08, the alternate meal was used in elementary schools for students who owed more than $4.00. Using this option, 6716 alternate meals were provided. * The alternate meal consists of milk and up to three menued side dishes of the student's choice. Page 5 of 10
Quality Effectiveness Indicators Safe The Department maintains a sanitary environment which ensures food safety. * The City of Allen Environmental Services Department conducts health inspections on a semi-annual basis. Kitchens consistently receive scores from 97-100. * Compliance with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Food Safety Program was met through weekly staff training sessions. * All Cafeteria Managers (as well as three district office staff) are certified through the Texas Department of State Health Services and have successfully completed the Food Management Examination. * The Department is promptly notified of all product recalls by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Departmental procedures are in place to handle a recalled product. However, in the recent beef recall, AISD had not received any tainted beef products. Professional Development Continuous training is necessary for all staff in order to ensure the safety and quality of foods served to students. * In 2007-08, the Department began weekly training sessions for staff. A "Train the Trainer" format was used so that the information was taken to the kitchens and learned by all staff. Each session contained three components: recipe preparation, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), and production records. Feedback on the previous week's training was also discussed and evaluations were completed at the end of each five week session. * Weekly manager training was also implemented in this past school year. Sessions were open to all managers and manager-trainees. This was an opportunity for managers to learn more by helping fellow managers. It also gave us individual time with managers who were experiencing specific challenges. * The Department participates in the Texas Association for School Nutrition and has a local chapter. In June, six staff members attended the state conference and participated in many learning sessions. Fundraising by chapter members provides funds for attendance. * The Director is a registered dietitian and participates in activities of the American Dietetic Association, the Texas Dietetic Association, the Dallas Dietetic Association, the School Nutrition Practice Group and currently serves on the Board of the Texas Association for School Nutrition. Continuous Improvement Menus and services are continuously evaluated. Detailed on-site reviews are conducted at every campus to determine areas in need of improvement. Follow-up reviews are conducted when non-compliance is found in critical areas. This past school year, the weekly staff training sessions were initiated as a result of these reviews. Student taste tests are conducted throughout the school year to determine the acceptability of new food items. Page 6 of 10
Quality Effectiveness Indicators Continuous Improvement (Cont'd) Employee recognition for achievements is awarded on a monthly basis. The "Super Star" Program was initiated this past school year. Staff are recognized as a team based on quality indicators including: health inspection reports, absence of accidents, sales, participation in promotions, record keeping and compliance with HACCP guidelines. Food costs represent approximately 65% of revenue. Inventory control is essential in controlling food costs. This past year, a software program was installed to establish a perpetual inventory as well as streamline the grocery ordering process. Inventory at the school level can now be closely monitored in the district office. Page 7 of 10
Evidence of Core Beliefs Effective management of the Program enables campus administrators to focus on the education of the students. Staff training is the foundation of a successful program and has been our emphasis this past school year with the addition of the weekly staff and manager training sessions. All new hires complete a six-week training program before receiving permanent placement in a school. Cafeteria manager trainees complete a six-month training program. Student achievement will be improved through good nutrition. Menus are continuously evaluated for acceptability as well as nutritional composition. Appealing, appetizing and affordable meals will be consumed more often by students. A menu planning committee consisting of managers and staff review each cycle menu for student acceptability. Student taste tests are conducted throughout the school year. Results of the taste tests assist us in determining acceptable products to purchase. An online survey is available to parents and staff to comment on the menu and services offered by the Department. Comments are reviewed for changes that need to be made. Page 8 of 10
Evidence of Core Beliefs Meal time should be an enjoyable experience for students. Promotions are held several times during the school year. Cafeterias are decorated, the staff dress up for these occasions, and a special menu is offered. Events of this past school year include: Patriot Day, Homecoming Tailgate, National Red Ribbon Week, Halloween, Thanksgiving Feast, Elvis' Birthday, Superbowl Tailgate, Mardi Gras, National Nutrition Month, Dr. Seuss' Birthday, St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, and our very popular Beach Party. Nutrition education is an important component of a child's education. In elementary schools, the CATCH program was implemented this school year. Foods were identified as GO, SLOW, or WHOA depending on their fat and sugar content. During 5-A-Day Week, students were introduced to a variety of fruits and vegetables such as jicama and kiwi. Students were encouraged to take small samples of any fruit or vegetable that was new to them. The Virtual Cafeteria was launched in August. This interactive program is available online and teaches the nutritional content of menu choices made. Allergen information was placed on the AISD website. Parents can use this information to teach children with food allergies which foods are safe to consume. Page 9 of 10
Evidence of Core Beliefs Community relations are enhanced through coordination of concessions at school district athletic events. The Concession Co-op was formed seven years ago in order to coordinate efforts in the operation of the concession stands at athletic events. AISD booster clubs received funds generated at athletic events based on the number of volunteer hours worked by the club. Vision for the Future Meals at school play an important role in childhood health and in the formation of lifelong healthy eating habits. Healthy meals with a variety of choices and nutrition education will be made available to all students and through improved nutrition, the child will be better equipped to excel in learning. The Allen ISD Department's vision for the future is to work hand-in-hand with educators in improving student achievement. Page 10 of 10