Get Ahead! Planning for Next School Year
March 2010
I am sitting in my office looking out the window at the snow, wind and bone chilling cold thinking that our school food service directors are now planning for commodity use for next school year. A school year that will start in the late summer, which by the look of things outside, seems very far off. So what are your commodity plans for next year? You do have a plan don't you? At times it feels as though you can barely keep up with your day to day activities of feeding the students let alone develop a plan for commodity use for next school year. I think the important first step is to take a deep breath and set aside some quality time to focus on developing a plan, so that it is in place when you return and ready to open for the 2010-2011 school year. The big question is, where do I start? Of course there is no singular way to develop a commodity/entitlement utilization plan. In general, it is my observation that the commodity program can be overwhelming to many of our districts. Therefore, lack of understanding leads to a lack of participation, which ultimately leaves valuable assets unused. This occurs for many reasons, some of which are not under your control. For instance: when USDA purchases a commodity which directly affects when you have access to it, the format USDA purchases them in and the acceptance of those specifications by your students, the price USDA decided to pay for a given item, processing yield, etc. are all aspects of the program that many of you have expressed as challenging and sometimes the cause of why you cannot take full advantage of the program. If you add those aspects that you do have control over such as new processing opportunities, new pass through methods like net off invoice, transparent tracking systems that provide you with real time data, it is no wonder that some of you feel overwhelmed. Of course there is no singular way to develop a commodity/entitlement utilization plan. In general, it is my observation that the commodity program can be overwhelming to many of our districts. Therefore, lack of understanding leads to a lack of participation, which ultimately leaves valuable assets unused. This occurs for many reasons, some of which are not under your control. For instance: when USDA purchases a commodity which directly affects when you have access to it, the format USDA purchases them in and the		acceptance of those specifications by your students, the price USDA decided to pay for a given item, processing yield, etc. are all aspects of the program that many of you have expressed as challenging and sometimes the cause of why you cannot take full advantage of the program. If you add those aspects that you do have control over such as new processing opportunities, new pass through methods like net off invoice, transparent tracking systems that provide you with real time data, it is no wonder that some of you feel overwhelmed. In reality what we are dealing with is a lack of confidence that the district is using the commodity program for its best value. I would like to offer one idea for your consideration. Focus on the money! Do not get overwhelmed by the process of using the program or by aspects of the program that are not under your control. Focus on the money. First, make sure you are aware of your district's entitlement. Then look at your menu and identify products that are available through the commodity program. This can be a combination of both ready to eat "brown box" commodities and further processed commodities. I would recommend focusing on items that have high velocity and high volume. Also try keeping the list to a manageable size as opposed to looking for every menu opportunity to use a commodity based item. Once you have your list of targeted products and quantities, add the value of those particular commodities into your calculation. (Your State office can assist you with a value for planning purposes). Review the total to see if you are planning to use your full entitlement. Now you have the beginning of a plan! If you plan to further process, work with the approved processors in your State to learn how to use their product and program to receive your districts commodity value. Again, focus on the money. No plan is effective unless it is measured. In the fall when you return, pull out your plan. When you receive commodity based product, maintain a calculation of the commodity value you received in each category. This time next year, use that information to improve your plan. Remember, focus on the money and you cannot go wrong. If you need assistance, please call K12 Services, Inc. at 301-251-5515.
Make Sure Your Distributor Assignment is Correct for Next School Year If you are planning on changing your commercial distributor for next school year, get a head start and make the change in K12 early so you can start getting your commodity discounts as soon as next year's pounds are available. You can request a distributor change for SY 2010-11 by clicking "Dist Assignment". You can make a mass distributor change for all of your manufacturers by selecting a distributor at the top of your page, and changing the effective date to 07/01/2010. You can also make distributor changes for a specific manufacturer by changing the distributor in the dropdown bar next to the manufacturers name, and then changing the effective date to 07/01/2010. If you have any questions, or would like someone to walk you through making a distributor change request, please call 301-251-5515.