2008-2009 CRE List

Note: The lists is subject to change.  It does not include all potential Districts or Charter schools applying for Provision 2; Districts or Charters that TDA will review because of complaints; follow-up CREs; or any additional CREs that TDA deems necessary.  Districts or Charters might be reviewed more than once in a five-year period due to Legislative Budget Board performance requirements.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has issued these news releases about the salmonella outbreak, including one on July 21 about contaminated jalapenos.

www.dshs.state.tx.us/news/updates.shtm

Information on the investigation, details about the illness, and advice for consumers is available from CDC at the link below.

http://cdc.gov/salmonella/saintpaul

FDA lifted the warning about tomatoes with this statement on July 17:

Districts are now allowed to have boy-girl-boy-girl seating arrangements at the same table.  This is not segregation but rather integration.  Seating arrangements such as a table of boys and a separate table of girls is regarded as segregation and is still not allowed.

The Administrator's Reference Manual (ARM) is being updated to reflect this revised interpretation.  If you are currently using the Civil Rights Brochures, please make sure you correct the answer on the boy/girl question.

The Civil Rights video has been disabled and will be reposted after the revision is made.

The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM Campaign was launched by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in 2000. The Campaign encourages and teaches children, parents, and caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active everyday. Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM offers resources and tools to convey and reinforce healthy eating and lifestyle behaviors that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPyramid Food Guidance System.  The Web site includes pages focused on Educators, Parents and Caregivers, and Kids.

The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Educators site is full of features with updated and new resources, ideas on how to use them, and ready-to-go tools to use in conjunction with Power Panther visits.  Click the following link to access the Educators section of the Web site:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardeducators/

The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Parents and Caregivers site is full of features with updated and new resources, ideas on how to use them, and ready-to-go tools to help you and your kids eat more healthfully and be more active every day.  Click on the following link to access the Parents and Caregivers section of the Web site:
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle

While you're there, be sure to check out the "Create Healthy, Active Celebrations" guide. It is full of ideas to help you and your family celebrate with festive food and fun games. It also includes tips for planning healthy, active parties, specific theme events with ideas for menus, activities, and decorations, as well as two-dozen recipes so your guests can "Eat Smart" at your celebration.

Click the link below to access this 46-page guide.
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle/QuickandEasy/celebrations.pdf

Kids will enjoy the The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Kids site, where they can explore a virtual town full of games, songs, activities, recipes, and reading to support them as they eat smarter and play harder. Click on the following link to access the Kids section of the Web site:
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardkids

The U.S. government revises its Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) every five years, most recently in 2005. Based on that update, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of developing rules to apply the DGAs to school nutrition programs. Although it will take a few years to complete the process, there is no reason to wait to put the most recent guidelines into action.

In advance of the coming rules change, school nutrition programs should strive for the following seven main improvements in order to achieve the 2005 DGAs:

Food Groups to Encourage

• Whole grains: Schools should increase the amount of whole grain products offered to students, and progress towards the goal of making half of all grains offered and served whole grains. 
• Fruits and vegetables: Schools should increase the availability and service of both fruits and vegetables within the school meal programs. In the National school lunch program, school food authorities should provide meals that offer both fruit and vegetable, regardless of the menu planning approach being used.
• Milk: Schools should offer only low fat (1% milk or less) and fat-free milk in the school meal programs for all children above the age of two.

Nutrients Without Current Regulatory Benchmarks

• Sodium: Schools should begin reducing sodium incrementally, with long-term step-wise plan for meeting the DGAs recommendation.
• Fiber: Schools should plan meals that provide fiber ay level appropriate for each age/grade group that reflect the 2005 DGAs recommendation
• Cholesterol: Schools should plan meals that, on average over a school week, provide less than 100 mg of cholesterol at lunch and les than 75 mg of cholesterol at breakfast for all age/grade groups.
• Trans-fat: Schools should plan meals that minimize trans-fats.

Please visit http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/default.htm for details about the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Even the least attentive consumer must have noticed the term "trans fat" lately. In the news, on grocery shelves, in restaurant advertising, and on magazine covers, "trans fat" has taken center stage among nutritional buzzwords. But what does it mean?

Every member of the modern American food chain-providers, selectors, buyers, preparers, eaters-needs to understand how dangerous trans fats can be. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) presents this article to provide background, suggestions and resources about trans fats.

WHAT is the problem?

Although trans fats occur naturally in some animal products like beef and dairy, synthetic trans fats are causing the public alarm. About 80 percent of the trans fats Americans consume is from sources that do not occur naturally. Synthetic trans fats are formed when hydrogen is added to a liquid vegetable oil to make it solid at room temperature. If an ingredient list includes "partially hydrogenated oil" or "vegetable shortening," it means that food contains synthetic trans fat.

Trans fats are trouble because of what they do to people's cholesterol. There are two kinds of cholesterol: LDL is the "bad," artery-clogging kind. HDL is the "good," LDL-removing kind. It is well known that saturated fat boosts harmful LDL, while unsaturated fat boosts protective HDL. We are just learning that trans fats both raise LDL and lower HDL, dramatically increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

WHO is doing something about it?

The first step was in 2003, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed a rule that food manufacturers must list trans fat on their nutrition labels by 2006.

In 2007, the Texas legislature passed a bill requiring TDA to prepare a report on trans fats. The report, due in December 2008, is to "detail all initiatives, proposals, and programs that the department and the United States Department of Agriculture are then currently conducting or planning to conduct and include the department's recommendations for legislative action to assist in reducing trans-fatty acids from school meals." Before the end of the 2007-2008 school year, TDA will be collecting information from Texas nutrition programs about their recent bid awards and any current initiatives to curb the use of trans fats.

WHY did trans fats emerge?

Liquid oils like olive oil and sesame oil have been used in cooking since ancient times. By the end of the 19^th century, less expensive food crops like soybean, corn, and peanut were also becoming popular as food oils. Before the early 20^th century, the only solid shortenings for baking were butter and lard.

In the early 20^th century, scientists developed a way to combine the inexpensiveness of vegetable oil with the usefulness of solid fats: hydrogenation. Vegetable shortening quickly caught on in home and commercial kitchens. It is easy to use in baked goods, lasts longer as a frying medium, and helps products stay fresher longer.

At first the appeal was its low price, but as Americans started to understand the health effects of dietary saturated fat from animal sources in the 1950s, vegetable shortening like margarine also gained ground as a supposedly healthy alternative to butter. Only in the last decade has it become clear how mistaken that belief was.

The National Academy of Science suggests that "trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet." The American Heart Association is more specific, recommending that people eat no more than 1% of their daily calories from trans fat. That works out to about one gram of trans fat per 1,000 calories consumed. The FDA makes no recommendation at all, since there is no known safe level of trans fats in the diet.

Fried items like chips and French fries and baked goods like breads and sweets account for more than half of the trans fats in American diets. The most important step toward avoiding trans fats is to read nutrition labels. Those who make food choices for others-parents, caregivers, and meal providers-can take the extra step of insisting that food makers provide healthful alternatives to trans fats.

Visit these Web sites for more information about reducing the risk from trans fats:

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005--Chapter 6: Fats (USDA)
Talking about Trans Fat: What You Need to Know (USDA)
Trans Fat: A Cholesterol Double Whammy (Mayo Clinic)
Trans Fats (American Heart Association)
What Every Consumer Should Know About Trans Fatty Acids (FDA)
Revealing Trans Fats (FDA)
Questions and Answers about Trans Fat Nutrition Labeling (FDA)
Backgrounder: FDA Acts to Provide Better Information to Consumers on Trans Fats
How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Panel (FDA)
Trans Fats--What Is the Big Deal? (Alexandria City, Virginia, Public Schools)
Heart Disease: Facts and Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Click the link below to access the updated USDA Commodity Fact Sheets. The fact sheets include information such as product descriptions, yields and storage instructions.  In addition, USDA has added valuable food safety guidance and expanded the nutrient data information that is key to planning healthy school meals that support the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid recommendations.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/schfacts/default.htm

Click the links below to access the files contained on USDA's CD -- SMI Tools for Success for School Food Authorities.

The Road to SMI Success

SMI Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrient Analysis Protocol

It has come to our attention that a publication is being marketed to school districts from a private company named "Federal Publishing". The publication is titled USDA & FDA 2007 Compliance Guidance.

This is NOT a FREE publication and Federal Publishing is NOT a federal agency. If you receive a call asking if you would like to receive information on 2007 compliance guidance and you agree, you will be invoiced $278.50.

USDA or TDA does not require this publication. We have notified USDA's FNS Southwest Regional Office in Dallas of this situation. If you have received this publication, and do not wish to keep it and pay for it, you have thirty days to return it to the address on the invoice.

Want to figure out how to get more fresh fruits and vegetables into your family's diet? Check out these Web sites to learn more about these foods that are chock-full of natural vitamins and nutrients.

Two Texas Schools Shine with Gold Award

Two elementary schools recently became the first two Texas recipients of the prestigious HealthierUS School Challenge Gold School certification.

The certification, which is presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was awarded to T.J. Lee Elementary School in the Irving Independent School District and to McDougle Elementary School in the Klein Independent School District. The award recognized the schools for their outstanding commitment to the healthy and well being of the students.

T.J. Lee had previously become the first Texas school to receive the HealthierUS School Challenge Silver School certification, and is now recognized as the first Texas school to receive the Gold School certification.

To receive the gold school award certification, school meals are required to meet nutrition levels significantly higher than those served under regular school meal nutrition guidelines, and schools must extensively document achievements and activities in nutrition education and physical activity.

The Farm to School (FtS) Program allows schools to use a portion of their commodity entitlement dollars to purchase fresh produce. The amount of funds spent on fresh produce, most of which is provided by Texas growers, has risen from $115,148 in 2003 to approximately $2 million annually.

Available produce, fresh from the farm, such as seedless watermelons, navel and Valencia oranges, grapefruits, gala apples, cut up broccoli, carrot sticks and red potatoes are very popular with the food service personnel of participating schools and with students.

Participating schools not only use the program to help with the fight against childhood obesity but to educate students on agriculture products grown in Texas. In addition, FtS helps stimulate the state's agricultural economy.

To explore participation in the Farm to School Program, contact the TDA Food and Nutrition Commodity Distribution Program at 512-420-2427.

What do you do to inspire students to eat more fruit and vegetables in a school district where chicken-fried steak rules and few kids have more than a passing acquaintance with produce?

If you're Nixon-Smiley ISD Superintendent Dr. Cathy Lauer-Booth, you combine imaginative - some would say daring - ideas with leading by example.

One of her most innovative and controversial ideas was to make fresh fruit and vegetables available to students any time during the day, and even allow food on the bus, which was an hour-long ride for some kids.

Using money from a grant provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Superintendent Lauer-Booth installed portable retail-style coolers - the two-door type usually found near the check-out counter in convenience stores - in its three schools last March. The coolers were stocked with sliced fruit and vegetables attractively packaged in kid-size portions.

The idea wasn't greeted warmly at first. The eat-at-will concept would disrupt classes, teachers said, and the opportunity for kids to eat anywhere would create a clean-up nightmare.

Within a few weeks, teachers and staff discovered both perceptions were wrong. Teachers at each grade level worked out ways to accommodate the policy without disrupting classes. And amazingly, the kids made an effort to be neat - even on the bus. Lauer-Booth saw one elementary school student bend over and pick up some litter another child had left saying, "This person's going to ruin it for the rest of us."

Bottom line, said Lauer-Booth, in a district where 80 percent of the students come from households facing economic challenges, the kids really appreciated the free, healthy food.

"Most of our kids come to school hungry," she said, "which is why I decided to make food available when they wanted it."

As the kids began to eat more fruit (vegetables have been a harder sell), they began to make healthier diet choices overall. Not long after the program began, the vendor who had supplied carbonated drinks to the district complained that he was no longer making money and pulled his machines. The next vendor installed water and 100 percent juice machines, and Lauer-Booth said the water machine is now generating the most sales.

One of the reasons the program has been a success, Lauer-Booth said, is that students have seen adults selecting food from the coolers and experimenting with things they aren't familiar with. The superintendent even made a show of trying a star fruit for the first time in front of her students. Another factor in the program's success, she said, was letting her teachers find a way to put it into practice.

"You have to give people a chance to fail. Then they'll come up with a way to make it work."

What has been the biggest surprise to the superintendent is the impact the program has had on the community. A local grocer reported that his produce sales have been up significantly since the inception of the program, and even teachers have admitted they are eating more fresh fruit.

In addition, more people are showing an interest in exercise, such as the district's walking program, with both staff and people from the community participating.

Said Lauer-Booth, "This program has been a life-changing event for the whole community."

Dairy MAX Offers $1K Grants to Expand School Breakfasts

Dairy MAX, a nonprofit organization financed and directed by Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas dairy producers, is again offering $1,000 grants to schools participating in the National School Breakfast Program that want to establish an alternative breakfast service option.

The School Wellness Through Expanding Breakfast Grant is intended to enhance student wellness by encouraging more students to eat a nutritious breakfast. The goal of an expanded breakfast program is to increase average daily breakfast participation by 50 percent or more by establishing one of the following alternative breakfast service methods: Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab 'n' Go Breakfast (served outside the cafeteria) and Breakfast after First Period.

Grant funds can be used directly to start and operate the alternative breakfast program or to help implement the methods of the district wellness policy or a combination of the two. For more information, go to www.dairymax.org/ and search for "expanding breakfast" or contact Nan Cramer at (713) 664-1180 or cramern@dairymax.org.

Students and Staff Prepare for TAKS by Giving Up Sugar for Two Months During a Sugar-Free Celebration

Northrich Elementary School students, teachers and staff prepared for the state TAKS test this year by pledging to pursue healthy eating habits and give up foods high in added sugars for two months. 

The effort appears to have been worth it, because the TAKS scores were higher this year than last year.

For their effort, participants from the Richardson ISD school received Texas Department of Agriculture's Square Meals "Think Bright" silicone wristbands, and students were given pedometers from a private donation.

The effort at the Richardson ISD school was capped off by a Sugar-Free Celebration Day that included nutrition and fitness learning stations and the Extreme Obstacle bounce house. Parents donated heart-healthy fruit to finish the day's event.

Northrich Elementary Physical Education teacher Terry Wade said she was proud of the participants and noted a second-grader chose to celebrate his birthday by sharing fruit instead of cupcakes.

"The benefits of course to me are obvious," said Wade. "We are training our kids to be healthy and make healthy choices, and healthy kids are smarter kids and better learners."

Report Recommends Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools

Competitive foods in public schools should be limited and consist of nutritious options, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Medicine. Competitive foods are defined as foods offered at school, other than meals served through U.S. Department of Agriculture's school meal programs.

The study recognized that students have more opportunities to eat alternative foods at school provided from various sources, including vending machines, snack bars, concession stands, classroom celebrations and a la carte items in school cafeterias.

Because of the concern over the rise in childhood obesity, schools are encouraged to reduce opportunities for competitive foods. When these foods are served, they should consist of nutritious fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nonfat or low-fat dairy products as recommended in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Overall, the study concluded that federally-reimbursable school nutrition program should be the main source of food at school.

To view the full report, report brief and fact sheet, go to www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/30181/42502.aspx.

At Midland Independent School District the key to improved student health is communication. Using the Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH) program as its foundation, the district is improving health education, physical education, nutrition and family involvement by coordinating efforts between the classroom, the cafeteria and physical education classes.

Patricia Mouser, director of child nutrition services for MISD for the past 26 years, explained that a district-wide Campus School Health Advisory Council (CSHAC) oversees CATCH implementation in the schools. "Each campus has a CSHAC team. The team leader coordinates and directs meetings and disseminates information from those meetings to the faculty," Mouser explained. Ideas and best practices discussed in the meetings are also shared on the MISD Web site. "We get ideas from one another via the Web site," Mouser said. "It is very comprehensive. Photos of CATCH events from all the schools are posted there, which encourages schools to go further and do more." The Web site is also used as a planning tool for faculty. "Besides sharing best practices, we also review wellness policy implementation at the end of every school year and post the results on the Web site," Mouser said. "This way everyone can use those results to prepare for the next year."

One aspect of CATCH is the designation of Go, Slow and Whoa foods. "Go" foods should be eaten most often, "Slow" foods less often, and "Whoa" foods least of all. Again, communication serves as the basis for success in educating students, teachers and parents about good nutrition. "All menu items are put on one big poster and grouped into Go, Slow and Whoa foods," Mouser explained. "Because the posters are hung around the school, students and teachers have access to the same information."

Although Mouser has not been able to objectively measure change in student behavior, she has noticed that the MISD CATCH programs have improved knowledge and communication about nutrition. "I hear students talking about the criteria for Go, Slow and Whoa foods and realize that their knowledge has really improved," she said. "Increased communication is responsible for that. There is real synergy when you collaborate efforts."

One Recipe for Success: Chefs in Schools Series

The Recipe for Success Foundation, a nonprofit operating in select Houston Independent School District elementary schools, is dedicated to combating childhood obesity and encouraging long-term health. It operates through a number of programs designed to alter the way children understand, appreciate and eat their food.

One of their most successful programs uses the time, energy and talent of some of Houston's finest chefs to help children and their parents learn how to cook healthy and delicious meals and snacks. The Chefs in Schools series started in fall 2006 and features monthly classes presented to fourth grade students from Recipe for Success pilot schools. The chefs use a special Culture of Food curriculum and a uniquely designed cooking cart in their classes.

The Chefs in Schools series also offers after-school programs, parent-child cooking classes and field trips to the chefs' own professional kitchens. Some of the chefs involved in the program include Randy Evans of Brennan's of Houston, Charles Clark of Ibiza Food & Wine Bar and Claire Smith of Shade.

The series, just one aspect of the Recipe for Success pilot program, illustrates the foundation's mission to mentor a citywide collaboration to affect change.

For more information about Recipe for Success and the Chefs in School series, go to www.recipe4success.org/.

Boerne ISD Boasts Active Parent Advisory Board

When parents comprise more than 50 percent of a school district's advisory board, good things are bound to happen. At least this is the case with the Boerne Independent School District and its nutrition policy.

According to BISD food service director Cheryl Rayburg, about four years ago parents in the parent advisory board recommended forming a wellness committee to determine ways to best implement the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy. "The wellness committee was set up to educate the faculty and staff," Rayburg said. "The parents took the policy one step further and changed the entire menu. Now it features more whole wheat products, more fresh fruits and vegetables, more homemade, from-scratch baked goods, less processed foods and less fat across the board."

In addition to the menu changes, the wellness committee, working in conjunction with Rayburg and other parent advisory board members, implemented a program called CATCH, or Coordinated Approach To Child Health. CATCH initiatives are designed to provide information about food and nutrition, exercise, parental nutrition and alcohol and tobacco use to parents and students. The information is disseminated in a number of ways. Some BISD principals hold family nights where CATCH lessons are passed on. Cafeteria workers also conduct mini-tutorials for students and hang posters emblazoned with nutrition and food pyramid information in eating areas. Rayburg said, "It's a slow process. You can't change everything overnight, but you can make the effort."

One component of CATCH is the educational mantra, "Go, Slow, and Whoa," which coordinates with the colors of a traffic light. "Go" foods are those that can be eaten all the time; "slow" foods can be eaten only sometimes; and "whoa" foods should be avoided. "I color-code the menu to reflect these three categories and to help students remember which foods are ‘go' or ‘slow.' We don't serve any ‘whoa' foods," said Rayburg.

Currently, Rayburg and the parent advisory board are working on designing a policy that deals with students with food allergies. Rayburg said, "It is something that the Texas legislature just voted on and a very serious problem for some students." She is working with school nurses and the head of the wellness committee to write a policy that addresses food allergens and how to handle potential reactions to them.

Sustainable Food Center Helps Bring Local Fare to Austin Schools

Andrew Smiley, farm marketing program manager and farm-to-school project director of Austin's nonprofit Sustainable Food Center, is an enthusiastic spokesperson for the center's Sprouting Healthy Kids program. From the sound of it, he has a lot to be enthusiastic about. The pilot project brings locally grown foods purchased directly from area farmers into school cafeterias and is supported by in-class and after-school educational opportunities.

"We're trying to be very comprehensive, to meet kids wherever they are," said Smiley. "We want to teach them every aspect of the food system, beginning with production all the way up to consumption. The premise is that the more young people know about food and the food system, the easier it is for them to make better food choices."

Sprouting Healthy Kids is working with two Austin schools in this, its first year, but plans to serve a total of six schools by the end of its three-year pilot run. The overarching goal is to get students, especially those with a high risk of child obesity and diabetes, to eat more fruits and vegetables. To meet its goal, the center devised a three-pronged approach that includes after-school nutrition education, in-class lessons and the inclusion of locally grown food in cafeteria meals.

One basic way to educate students about food: have them eat it. That's where the locally grown cafeteria food comes in. The Sustainable Food Center and the Austin Independent School District have been working together to procure fruits and vegetables from local farms to serve to the students. "Barriers do exist," Smiley noted. "As it stands now, federal legislation prohibits school food service agencies from buying from preferred areas. Luckily, there is language in the new farm bill that does away with that restriction, largely because so many local farm-to-school food programs are popping up everywhere." The new farm bill is stalled, though. Until it passes, Smiley and his colleagues at AISD purchase amounts of food that do not require entrance into the formal bidding process. Every bit helps, and Smiley explained that even modest purchases "allow us the opportunity to make some inroads and work out our distribution process."

When kids see locally grown food served seasonally, such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, no matter the amount, there is real impact. "We focus on fresh foods so the students can see and recognize what has been grown locally," said Smiley. That impact is compounded by the school gardens that are planted at every Sprouting Healthy Kids school. The students grow many of the same things they see coming from local farms. "This gives them a sense of ownership and involvement in the process," Smiley said. "If they're growing broccoli in their garden, they're more likely to try it. If it shows up in the cafeteria, they'll probably try it again."

The gardens serve a second purpose as teaching sites. Smiley works with AISD teachers to develop core curriculum lessons from a food systems perspective. "You can teach almost anything in the garden," Smiley said. For example, "Math teachers will bring their students to the garden and have them measure it to determine its dimensions, its area and volume. Social studies teachers can teach the culture of food on a local and global scale." These lessons work in conjunction with the Sprouting Healthy Kids after-school program, which focuses on nutrition education, cooking, gardening and field trips.

The Sprouting Healthy Kids program has been met with enthusiastic support from principals, district heads and teachers. An evaluation process has been built into the program that will serve as a valuable measure of its success over the next three years. "Every year we are doing beginning- and end-of-year student evaluations to find out their knowledge of food, see how they feel about the program, and also see if eating habits have been changed." For more information, go to www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/SHK_overview.html.

For the past three years, Austin Independent School District Nutrition and Food Services Chef Steven Burke has relied on focus groups made up of high school students to guide menu, cafeteria and recipe changes. Innovations include updated meals that feature fresh vegetables and breads made from scratch, and more welcoming eating spaces. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Each semester, the AISD area supervisor chooses a number of high schools to concentrate on. From those schools, 25 to 35 students from different backgrounds and grade levels are picked to act as focus groups, providing feedback about what they like, what they dislike and what they want to see in the cafeterias. The latter includes ambience - not just food. "These comments help guide decisions about how the food lines are set up, how the food is served, and so forth," Burke said. "I take the feedback and plan with administrative staff, kitchen staff and the kitchen manager on ways to make necessary changes."

In revamped cafeterias, students have responded especially well to the addition of specialty food lines featuring themed meals. "New concepts, like the sub sandwich line or the Asian line, are prompted by the students," explained Burke. "They tell me what they like and I make it happen."

When students at one high school voiced a desire for Italian food, Burke created the Italian line. "It offers choices of penne or spiral pasta, or spaghetti topped with either marinara, low-fat alfredo or meat sauce," said Burke. "Chicken patties, meatballs or mozzarella cheese, which counts as a vegetarian protein option, can be added. Or they can choose meat or spinach lasagna. Salad or fresh, steamed vegetables come with every Italian meal. We also offer pizza rolls, artisan pizza or pepperoni pizza, which are all made from scratch." There's also a sub line, where students build salads, wraps or sandwiches on homemade sub rolls; a burrito wrap line where Southwestern bowls are favored; and a baked potato line for spuds with all the fixings. "We're excited about the Asian line we're planning to introduce in the spring," said Burke. That line will feature fresh vegetable stir-frys the students build by making noodle, sauce and protein choices.

Burke also uses the focus groups to test new cafeteria dishes. "I'll do food presentations for the students and let them taste what I've made. I use their feedback to determine what I'll be teaching the staff to cook," he said. Training kitchen workers to make more food from scratch has been high on Burke's list since he started relying on student feedback. "I'll do cooking classes for kitchen managers, too, to make sure they know how to make the dishes," he explained. "I check to see if the recipes are being made correctly by going from high school to high school and tasting the food myself."

When it comes to student and staff response to recipe, menu and cafeteria changes, "You can see the excitement about the food in the students' faces," enthused Burke. "And that acts as a motivator that really energizes the staff."

Called "Sprouting Healthy Kids," the program is a joint effort between the Austin Independent School District and Austin's nationally recognized nonprofit Sustainable Foods Center (SFC).

The program combines SFC's three key programs: farm marketing, food preparation, and community and youth gardening.

"We're working primarily with populations most at risk for diet-related diseases, including problems associated with obesity," said Andrew Smiley, an SFC project director.

The goal of the program is to provide children with the knowledge to choose and prepare nutritious foods. To pique their interest, students at Dobie Middle School and the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders help grow their food in a school garden and learn to prepare it in cooking classes. They not only have the chance to meet chefs but also farmers and others involved in bringing the food from the farm to the table.

When they're not growing and preparing fresh food, students enjoy fresh, locally grown produce in the cafeteria, which underscores the healthy-choices message.

SFC uses its network of local farmers to help food service staff acquire foods grown in the area.

The cooking classes are based on SFC's successful The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre program, which offers families free cooking and nutrition instruction. The Happy Kitchen focuses on "eating seasonal foods prepared in a nutritious manner and done on a budget," Smiley said.

Cost control is an ongoing challenge for food service administrators. Based on a case study of successful Child Nutrition Programs conducted by the National Food Service Management Institute, effective cost control requires attention to detail in five key areas:

Calculating menu costs: Costing menus to determine affordability and monitoring leftovers were standard procedures in the case study schools. Because standardized recipes specify exact amounts of ingredients, managers can accurately cost out recipes and better plan purchasing and storage needs.

Purchasing: Cost-effective procurement procedures are a must, as well as maintaining written procurement plans to curb food costs. Effective purchasing systems include written specifications for products requested, competitive bidding for vendor selection and written instructions to test new products.

Receiving: All CNP administrators in the case study recognized the importance of having well-trained and competent personnel for receiving purchased products. Each required inspection of orders at time of delivery to check for accuracy and condition of delivered products.

Forecasting and Sale Histories: Forecasting and food sale histories, along with plate waste checks, were the basis for planning future menus and food production. New items were added after testing for acceptability.

Training: Administrators recognize that training is an important key to cost containment. Training for continuous improvement was a standard practice. Specific in-service training was provided as needed, according to staff requirements or program changes.

For further information on case study schools, view the report online at www.nfsmi.org/Information/Newsletters/insight10.pdf.

Summer may mean a vacation from classes, but it should not be a break from nutrition.  Children still need to be properly nourished to ensure that when school resumes, they are ready to learn. We can do our part by helping children stay nutritionally fit during the summer break through meals offered in a summer food program.  What can we do? What resources are available?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Services, in 2005 only a fraction of the children that participated in the National School Lunch Programs also participate in the summer programs that offer free meals.

Many school districts are familiar with the traditional Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA).  While the SFSP is still available and may be appropriate for many schools, six years ago the federal government created the Seamless Summer Option as an alternative for schools that already participate in school meal programs and wish to continue meal service into the summer. Participants feed children for free and claim reimbursements at the free meal rate effective during the previous school year.

Also administered by TDA, the Seamless Summer Program offers a streamlined approach to providing free, reimbursable meals for children 18 years and younger.  School districts can apply with ease through TDA's Child Nutrition Programs Information Management System (CNPIMS).  The process is as simple as the annual renewal for the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs.

The program requires the same paperwork that schools use during the year for other reimbursable meal programs.  The same rules that govern the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program apply to the Seamless Summer Program with the exception of application and eligibility requirements, as all children eat free.

In 1993 state lawmakers required school districts to participate in the SFSP if 60 percent or more of their average daily attendance qualified for free and reduced-price meal benefits.  Since then, the Seamless Summer Program became available, and schools required to offer summer feeding may now choose the program that best fits their needs. In October 2007, TDA notified 485 out of 1,200 Texas school districts that they must participate in a summer program.

Summer feeding programs are a win-win for everyone.  Although certain districts must provide a summer program, all districts are encouraged to continue to provide children the opportunity to receive nutritionally sound meals. By doing so, districts benefit from positive public relations in the community, access to commodities, and are able to provide summer employment for food service staff.  It is also an excellent way to promote reimbursable programs and increase participation during the school year.

For additional information about the SFSP, visit the Web site http://www.summerfood.org/. To view the SFSP reimbursement rates, click on the link below.