Beginning in the new school year, families must once again apply for the income-based free and reduced lunch subsidy. That’s because the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced recently that it is returning to pre-COVID-19 rules requiring families to apply for free and reduced lunch, rather than allowing all K-12 students to receive free meals.
On this episode of the Supercast, find out what you need to know about school breakfast and lunch moving forward. And, how to apply for free or reduced meals for the upcoming 2022-23 school year in Jordan School District.
Audio Transcription
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. During the pandemic, the USDA offered free breakfast and lunch to all students K-12 nationwide. Those pandemic rules are now changing. On this episode of the Supercast, find out what you need to know about school breakfast and lunch moving forward, and how to apply for free or reduced meals for the upcoming 2022-23 school year in Jordan School District. We're here with Katie Bastian, the new director of Nutrition Services. Thanks for taking time.
Katie Bastian:
Yes, thank you. Thanks for having me.
Anthony Godfrey:
I can still say new, right? Even though you've done it since last year.
Katie Bastian:
Yeah. I hope so. Yeah, I feel new. Everything's a new day.
Anthony Godfrey:
I just finished my third year. So I think I have to stop saying that I'm new, but it feels good when you're able to do that.
Katie Bastian:
Yes. A little bit of leeway.
Anthony Godfrey:
The last couple of years, the USDA has provided free meals because of COVID and that has happened nationwide. So this change is not a Jordan District change. This is a change that's happening nationwide where now there is no longer an exemption and students will need to pay for their meals. The good news is that Jordan District has not increased the cost of a meal for 13 years, if I'm not mistaken.
Katie Bastian:
Yeah, our meals this year, as you know, we go back to a free, reduced and paid price structure. The cost is just the same as it was pre-pandemic. So, the prices aren't increasing.
Anthony Godfrey:
And it's been over a decade that we've kept those prices low.
Katie Bastian:
It's pretty incredible. Yeah. But through budgeting and making use of, like you say, we make foods from scratch. So we have more labor than most districts do, but we're able to save money and control our quality by doing things from scratch.
Anthony Godfrey:
So the overall cost is lower, that's what's made it possible for us to avoid increasing cost for over a decade, but it's also helped with supply chain issues that we've been able to cook from scratch. Tell me a little bit about that.
Katie Bastian:
We have a warehouse in our district, which we're really lucky to have, so we have a little bit of control over what we bring in and we're able to purchase in bulk. But yeah, when people are having issues getting bread products, bread products haven't and are not an issue for us because we make a lot of our bread products from scratch. We just have to make sure we have all the, you know, raw ingredients of flour, whole wheat flour and that sort of thing. So we are able to control the quality and the cost of it and put out a healthy and delicious product.
Anthony Godfrey:
So when I think about aspects of the district that are run very efficiently with a high quality output it's Nutrition Services that I think of. We do a lot of things well, and that is one of them. It's just incredible what you have done over the years to provide very nutritious, high quality meals at a very low cost and providing jobs. And doing so for less than it would cost to just bring that food in instead of create it here.
Katie Bastian:
Yeah, no, I appreciate that. And our staff is incredible. We have over 500 employees at you know, our 64 different sites and they're incredible. They were flexible during COVID. And even now COVIDs getting a little bit better, all the supply chain issues and they've just been flexible. They rise to the challenge every single day.
Anthony Godfrey:
And it's been a challenge because throughout every summer we've continued to feed students. And so if anyone hasn't received a break it's Nutrition Services. Even when we shut down schools in the spring of 2020, everyone else was home for the most part, except for our education support professionals and that included Nutrition Services who continued to provide meals in very uncertain circumstances. Thank you for providing that consistency and just a really important part of a student's day.
Katie Bastian:
Definitely. Yeah. They're amazing. Our staff is amazing.
Anthony Godfrey:
An amazing thing that's happened since the USDA has been reimbursing us for all meals is that fewer families have applied for those free or reduced lunch benefits that they would normally be eligible for. So how does a family go about renewing those benefits?
Katie Bastian:
So with the USDA suspending those waivers and us going back to everything normal next year, we've really just been letting parents know to apply for the free and reduced lunches through their registration process. They can do it online through their Skyward account, or they can, every school has a paper application too. So even if you're not sure if you qualify, please just apply for free and reduced meals and see. And then also we want parents to know, go ahead and put money in your student's lunch account, which you can also do through Skyward. And that will get them all set up for the first day of school.
Anthony Godfrey:
I've heard this a couple of different times, but third graders, second graders, and first graders have not entered their lunch number before. They haven't had to go through that process because either they were in kindergarten before the pandemic and didn't have lunch to begin with at school. Or they just have had a free lunch during the pandemic. So we have a lot of students, sometimes half of our students at our elementary schools, who will be figuring out that program for the first time. So those first couple of weeks are going to be a little bit intense.
Katie Bastian:
Definitely. Yeah. Parents will figure things out and we'll figure 'em out with the kids. So yeah,
Anthony Godfrey:
It'll be great. It'll be great. Just part of adjusting to being back in business in the way we used to be.
Stay with us. When we come back, find out what is happening in the free summer meal service program for Jordan School District.
Break:
Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? Jordan School District is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher. Apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire custodians and bus drivers. In Jordan School District we like to say people come for the job and enjoy the adventure. Apply today at workatjordan.org.
Anthony Godfrey:
We have a summer meal program that a lot of people don't realize goes on throughout the summer. Many people ask, what do we do all summer? Well, this is one of the ways that we stay connected to kids and communities. Tell us about that and where that's located and who it's available to.
Katie Bastian:
Yeah, so we have five summer feeding locations and they're mostly in West Jordan because that is the area that qualifies for eligibility based on their free and reduced percentages. But we have five schools. We have Columbia and Heartland and Westvale and Oquirrh and Majestic.
Anthony Godfrey:
And we are here at Heartland right now in a lull between breakfast and lunch. But this will be filled with kids before too long, having a free lunch that's provided through federal funding. And that's one thing I want to clarify, the rules come from the federal government and the funding comes from the federal government.
Katie Bastian:
Yep, the USDA.
Anthony Godfrey:
And this is a little bit of a switch over the last couple of summers. Because of COVID, we've had the flexibility to offer summer meals throughout the district at schools in locations farther south and farther west.
Katie Bastian:
But we had waivers in place that allowed us to do that and now most of those COVID waivers have gone away. So we're just back to kind of the five or six sites that qualify each year that we we've done in the past before the pandemic.
Anthony Godfrey:
And these summer meals have been going on for a long time. Do you have any idea how long this has happened?
Katie Bastian:
Oh, you know, I've been with the district as our dietician, before I was the director, for 12 years. And I mean, it's been going on as long, long before that. As long as I know, like, as far as like, if you have summer lunch, you have summer meals. If you have schools that qualify. So yeah, it runs hand in hand and it's always been free too for kids zero to 18.
Anthony Godfrey:
And the zero to 18 is something that people sometimes overlook. So even if you've graduated, but you're 18, you still qualify. And if you are zero to five and you haven't even been to school yet, you still qualify. And you told me earlier, you even have baby food available. Tell me a little bit about that.
Katie Bastian:
We do. Yeah. We do have baby food available for, of course, the kids who aren't eating regular table food. And then our meals are served hot off the line every day. So it's not a cold grab and go sandwich every day. So it's a pretty good quality meal. And people need to know that they don't have to be within the school's boundaries to come. If someone from, you know, other places in our district want to come, it's open to everyone.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's just open to anyone age zero to 18. You don't have to qualify with your family's income or any of your family circumstances, and you don't have to qualify according to where you live. Just anyone age, zero to 18 qualifies. But if a parent comes with them, they do not qualify to have a meal.
Katie Bastian:
Right. The parent can buy a meal if they'd like to eat with their kids, they're more than welcome to do that. And we love parents to come with their kids too.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what's the charge for a parent to come?
Katie Bastian:
I believe it is $3.30, an adult meal cost.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's a bargain.
Katie Bastian:
It is.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's a bargain. Bring the whole family. So anyone is welcome at any of those five schools. And tell me about the hours. When is that available?
Katie Bastian:
We serve a hot breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30, and then we serve a hot lunch from 11:30 to 12:30 every day. And that's throughout the summer.
Anthony Godfrey:
And that's the same time at every location.
Katie Bastian:
Yep. Same time every location.
Anthony Godfrey:
And we have Tawnya Elwood here with us who is normally the Nutrition Services Manager at Daybreak, but is filling in and helping out here at Heartland. Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with me.
Tawnya Elwood:
You're welcome.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the summer meal program.
Tawnya Elwood:
So anyone can come and then we'd love to see any kids come and help from zero to 18. They mentioned the baby food. We have lots of hot meals. It changes every day. So we have like a five week cycle that we cycle through breakfast and lunch.
Anthony Godfrey:
I assume that you have some of the same children that come through over that period of time and you get to know them pretty well.
Tawnya Elwood:
Yeah. It's really fun. A lot of the same kids come. And so we get to know their names and get to see how their summer's going and visit with them one on one.
Anthony Godfrey:
Like I was talking about earlier, although we do have many people who do not work in the summer, we have a lot of things that continue throughout the summer. You really don't get a rest and I really appreciate that you're here to help out.
Tawnya Elwood:
That's okay. I'd love to help. I, you know, it's great that we can work and keep and still have a job and help these kids and help make sure that they get a meal.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's really important to the community and I know it means a lot to them, so thank you very much for making that possible.
Tawnya Elwood:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
How long have you been a nutrition services worker in the district?
Tawnya Elwood:
Since 2013.
Anthony Godfrey:
And where all have you worked?
Tawnya Elwood:
I've worked at Joel P Jensen Middle School for eight years. And then I've been at Daybreak. Well, I went to Joel P Jensen for eight years, and then I came here at Heartland during COVID and then I got manager at Daybreak two years ago.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh. So when you come back to Heartland, you know these kids.
Tawnya Elwood:
Oh yeah, yeah. I've been summer feed here for three years.
Anthony Godfrey:
Being able to connect with kids as part of their meal, whether it's in the summer or during the school day, they really get to know you and become friends I'm sure.
Tawnya Elwood:
Yeah. It's a lot of fun getting to hear about their summers.
Anthony Godfrey:
So as a Nutrition Services Manager in the summer, you maybe get to know students in a different way because there are fewer, first of all. Even though there are a lot of participants, it's not like during the school year.
Tawnya Elwood:
Definitely. 100 versus 500 kids. Because during the summer we have about, I don't know what they feed here at Heartland, but I know at Daybreak we serve about 500.
Anthony Godfrey:
So that gives you a chance to get to know them better because the numbers are lower. But you also get to connect with their families and maybe get to know parents of students that you've known for a long time because they come with their kids for the summer program.
Tawnya Elwood:
Yeah. A lot of the same parents come with the same kids. And so we talk to them and get to know them and their family and what's going on with them as a whole.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's a great service and a wonderful way to stay connected.
Tawnya Elwood:
Definitely.
Anthony Godfrey:
Katie mentioned that we do not just serve a grab and go, it's a hot lunch and a hot breakfast off the line. Tell me about some of the foods that are available. They're fresh foods as well.
Tawnya Elwood:
Yes, we serve 'em right here in the cafeteria. So they come in here and they eat in the cafeteria and there is, like today we had waffles and sausage. Sometimes we have sweet and sour chicken, or we have spaghetti. We've made tacos from scratch today. We make rolls from scratch. So they get a wide variety. There's lots of fruits and vegetables. We make salads. We've had pineapple, cantaloupe, which is a lot of the fresh fruit.
Anthony Godfrey:
And it is impressive that we do so many meals from scratch. I know that that is one of the things that sets us apart, I think a little bit, from some other programs. And so it's great food and it's definitely something that people ought to check out if that's of interest to them at any of those schools during the times we mentioned. We'll include the list of schools and times in the show notes as well. Well, I know that there's a lot to be done in summer, but it is almost lunch time. So I will let you go, but I really appreciate your spending the time. And it's a pleasure to talk with you. Thanks for everything you do for our students and for our community. Thank you so much.
Tawnya Elwood:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see out there.