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Train Your Staff

April 18, 2021

Train your staff to “LEARN to Master Difficult Conversations” in the workplace with brand-new tools from the School Nutrition Foundation! Register now now for a live Webinar Wednesday presentation with SNF on Wednesday, April 28 at 3 p.m. EST to learn more about the new LEAD to Succeed™ facilitator guide designed specifically for school nutrition professionals. This program is open to all school nutrition professionals—SNA members and non-members!
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ANC 2021

April 18, 2021

#ANC21 will be using a new, robust digital platform developed by SNA's longtime conference partner GES that promises to provide enhanced attendee and exhibitor engagement and plentiful networking opportunities. Volunteer leaders, staff and industry partners are already hard at work planning the high-level program content that is an ANC hallmark. Already on tap are two keynote speakers, Crystal Washington and Ben Nemtin, who promise to inspire participants and set the tone for a truly immersive virtual experience. Learn more.
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Universal School Meals Proposed in Mass.

April 18, 2022

State lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering legislation that would establish permanent universal meals for students in 2022. The move is aimed at helping curb food insecurity and the stigma that may be associated with free school meals.
Full Story: WBZ-TV (Boston) (4/13) 
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Biden Proposes 40.8% Increase In Education Budget

April 13, 2021

President Joe Biden on Friday released his $1.5 trillion spending proposal for fiscal year 2022, which includes close to $103 billion for the Education Department -- a 40.8% increase from the previous fiscal year. The proposal includes $36.5 billion in Title I grants -- $20 billion more than the 2021 level and the largest investment in the program's history.

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Back to School Virtual Summit

April 13, 2021

Join us for two afternoons in May to plan and strategize for School Year 2021-2022! Speakers will include key stakeholders in school nutrition around the country, as well as:
 
  • Dennis Roche from Burbio, who will discuss the latest school opening tracking trends and an outlook for next school year.
  • A representative from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who will provide the latest guidance for serving school meals for back-to-school.
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CA Considers Adopting Universal School Meals

April 13, 2021

California would be the first state to ensure universal breakfasts and lunches for all students if the proposed Universal Meal Plan legislation is adopted. The bill -- introduced by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley -- would establish the universal meal program in the 2022-23 school year and would remove the typical application process used for the National School Lunch Program.
Full Story: EdSource (4/8) 
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Plan with your peers for SY 2021-21!

April 13, 2021

SNA’s Rebuilding Together: Back to School Virtual Summit was created to help school nutrition professionals construct a new path forward after what has likely been the most challenging year ever in school nutrition. Plan now to join us for two afternoons of strategizing on May 4 & 6, 2021! 
 
The latest agenda features a host of expert speakers and school nutrition operators from across the country, featuring the latest guidance from the CDC for serving school meals safely and tools you can use such as the Meals in the Classroom (MIC) Guide from our partners Dayle Hayes and Jeanne Reilly. Sessions include: 
 
  • What’s currently shaping school nutrition programs—national participation trends update from SNA
  • Hybrid/Virtual/In-Person—the outlook for next year, with Dennis Roche, president of Burbio
  • Director of the Year Panel—get innovative ideas for your district direct from SNA award winners—the best of the best!
  • Procurement in Challenging Times Panel: A case study on how program operators, state agency and industry representatives partnered together
 
And that’s just the first day! Come join the conversation, with speed networking on hot topics in school nutrition and idea-sharing activities built in!
 
Don’t miss this exceptional and unique opportunity to hit the reset button for next year together with your peers from across the country.
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New SNF Webinar April 28: Facilitating ‘LEARN to Master Difficult Conversations’ Training with Your Staff

April 13, 2021

Train your staff to ‘LEARN to Master Difficult Conversations’ in the workplace with brand-new tools from the School Nutrition Foundation! Register now for a live webinar with SNF on Wednesday, April 28, to learn more about the new LEAD to Succeed™ training program designed specifically for school nutrition professionals. This Webinar Wednesday presentation begins at 3 p.m. ET. This training is open to all school nutrition professionals--SNA members and non-members! 
 
“Facilitating ‘LEARN to Master Difficult Conversations’ Training with Your Staff” will be a “guided tour” of the first module of the program and the accompanying Facilitator Guide, which was created to help directors bring these trainings back to their staff. The panel will be led by the guide’s creator, Sandra Ford, SNS, former director of Manatee County Schools (FL) and includes Dr. Alicia Landry, SNS, RD, LDN, of the University of Central Arkansas, Gay Anderson, SNS, director of Sioux Falls School District (SD) and past School Nutrition Association President, and Lori Adkins, SNS, MS, of Oakland Schools (MI).
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Update on K-12 School Openings

April 12, 2021

We are pleased to send along the Weekly Update on School Openings across the country. We saw a 4.1% increase in the percentage of K-12 students attending traditional school this week as both virtual and hybrid continued to drop. The percentage of K-5 students in virtual dropped below 10% and the percent of high school students attending traditional schools went above 50%.
?Several states saw in-person jumps due to state level mandates. And for millions of US K-12 students, the school year is weeks away from coming to a close.
 
If interested in Burbio's K-12 Calendar Insights Service, which measures school start dates, vacation schedules, summer school programs, and days-in-school across the US, please contact dennis@burbio.com. 
 
 
 
 
The above percentages are set to Sunday, April 11th. Our data is presented as "students attending schools that offer this learning plan" - most districts also offer virtual even when providing in-person. For above, 12.2% of US K-12 students are currently attending schools that offer virtual-only plans, 59.4% offering traditional, etc. 
 
1) Some large "Always Virtual" cities are bringing students in for the first time.
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  • In California. Los Angeles will bring K-5 in over the course of next week and middle and high school the week following in a hybrid model. Sacramento brought K-3 in hybrid this past week and will bring 4-12 in hybrid over the next two weeks. San Francisco will begin bringing in K-5 students next week in an announcement that has lots of qualifying language and no time frame set for the widespread 6-12 in-person learning. Fresno returned some grades hybrid last week and the balance will return this week. 
  • In other states, Seattle and Portland now have K-5 students in hybrid and will bring 6-12 in the week of April 19th. Newark, NJ returns students in hybrid the week of 4/12. Milwaukee begins returning younger students next week, their transition plan over the next few weeks keeps grades 9, 10, and 11 virtual. Prince George's County, MD returned K-6 and 12 in hybrid this week with grades 7-11 returning late next week. Clayton County, GA, a large district just outside Atlanta, returns K-5 in hybrid this week and will bring them in traditional in two weeks. Clayton schools currently have no plans for returning 6-12 in-person. 
  • In a smaller but widely covered district, Montclair, NJ will return K-5 in hybrid this coming week with an indeterminate schedule for 6-12. New Brunswick, NJ will bring all students in hybrid over the next two weeks, and Plainfield, NJ brings all students in hybrid this week for the first time, with over half having opted out of in-person. 
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2) At the state level, New Mexico went from one of the most virtual states to one of the most in-person as seen on our School Opening Tracker as state mandates kicked in. Massachusetts figures took a big jump as their K-5 in-person requirements took effect. Next week we expect North Carolina, currently much further along in offering in-person, to make a big shift, and the week after that New Hampshire will as well based on similar mandates. Oregon, California, and Washington will jump considerably with many returns occurring the weeks of the 12th and the 19th, although in those states most returns are hybrid. Conversely, Michigan Governor Whitmer urged high schools in the state to go virtual for two weeks due to rising Covid-19 rates. 
 
3) In noted moves to traditional,