MdSNA 2023 House of Delegates 69th Annual Convention Ocean City, Maryland Friday, October 20, 2023 Call to Order/Welcome............................................................................................................................Megan Doran Pledge of Allegiance ....................................................................................................................................Cody Wilt Thought for the Day...................................................................................................................................Eric Goslee Introduction of Parliamentarian ................................................................................................................ Mary Klatko Roll Call of Delegates.........................................................................................................................Cherie Cotsonas Announcement of Quorum ...................................................................................................................... LuAnn Klink Approval of Agenda................................................................................................................................Megan Doran Approval of Minutes...........................................................................................................................Cherie Cotsonas Greetings from MSDE.............................................................................................................................Julie Fletcher Report of Officers President ...................................................................................................................................Megan Doran President Elect................................................................................................................................Cody Wilt Vice President ..............................................................................................................................Eric Goslee Secretary ...............................................................................................................................Cherie Cotsonas Treasurer.......................................................................................................................................Kathy Kim Report of Standing Committees Advertising.....................................................................................................................................Jodi Risse Awards/ Scholarship................................................................................................................Pia Puertellano Budget...........................................................................................................................................Kathy Kim Certification/ Credentialing Convention.......................................................................................Karen Olsen Education................................................................................................................................... Kaitlin Fraer Handbook/ By Laws..............................................................................................................Eulalia Muschik House of Delegates.................................................................................................................... LuAnn Klink Industry.......................................................................................................................................Dane Emery Legislative - Federal................................................................................................................... Mary Klatko Legislative - State ...........................................................................................Mary Klatko & Barbara Harral Marketing/Public Info.....................................................................................................................Jodi Risse Membership ...........................................................................................................................Tracy Newbold Nominating .............................................................................................................................Barbara Harral Nutrition.................................................................................................................................Nicole Leveron Report of Special Committees Historian ...............................................................................................................................Eulalia Muschik Sunshine................................................................................................................................Cherie Cotsonas Ways and Means...........................................................................................Brenda Ream, Amber Timmons Reports of Affiliated Chapters Included in the Packet Unfinished Business New Business Mega Discussion – Eulalia Muschik, Topic: Reenergizing County Chapter Meetings of MdSNA Announcements Adjournment SCAN HERE FOR THE FULL PACKET OF COMMITTEE AND CHAPTER REPORTS.
To: MdSNA House of Delegates From: Cody Wilt, President Elect Subject: House of Delegates: Annual Report for 2023 Goals Prepare for my term as President, develop the State Plan of Work, and lead the convention committee in the planning of our 69th MDSNA Annual Convention. Achievements Attended SNA’s Legislative Action Conference in Washington, DC; Attended SNA’s Future Leaders Program in Louisville, KY; Attended SNA’s Annual National Convention in Denver, CO; Attended MDSNA Annual Conference; Attended MDSNA Spring Education Workshop; Team Leader for MDSNA Virtual Legislative Workshop; Attended Carroll County SNA Meeting; Attended Garrett County SNA Meetings; Attended Montgomery County SNA Cookie Exchange; Recommendations
MdSNA Treasurer's Report August 2023 M & T Bank- Checking Balance August 31, 2023 218,518.86 $ M & T Bank Savings Balance as of August 31, 2023 80,325.97 $ Outstanding Deposits Outstanding Payments Total 298,844.83 $ INCOME 2023/2024 Budget Actuals Revenue Convention 2023 144,000.00 $ 138,600.91 $ Convention 2024 - $ - $ Ways & Means 3,000.00 $ - $ Industry Sponsorship- Marketing 34,645.00 $ 52,806.00 $ MdSNA Membership 4,500.00 $ 1,465.00 $ Industry Membership 11,500.00 $ 11,800.00 $ Spring Workshop 300.00 $ - $ Interest $ 40.00 Grand Total Revenue 197,985.00 $ 204,671.91 $ EXPENDITURES Administrative Expenses Contracted Support Fees 36,000.00 $ 6,000.00 $ Operating Expenses 5,500.00 $ 292.00 $ Office Equipment 3,000.00 $ 405.88 $ Insurance 2,520.00 $ - $ Tax Preparation 700.00 $ - $ Website, Email Drop Boxes 1,400.00 $ 198.18 $ Travel $ - 500.00 $ Executive Board President 100.00 $ - $ President Elect 100.00 $ - $ Vice President 100.00 $ - $ Secretary 100.00 $ - $ Treasurer 150.00 $ - $ Chapter President 100.00 $ - $ Immediate Past Pres 50.00 $ - $ Chapter Support- Mileage 500.00 $ - $ Standing Committees Scholarship 5,000.00 $ - $ Bylaws and Handbook 100.00 $ - $ Certification 100.00 $ - $ Professional Development (Spring Workshops) 5,000.00 $ - $ Legislation 100.00 $ - $ Marketing/Serving Spoon 15,000.00 $ - $ Nutrition 100.00 $ - $ Convention 2023 63,450.00 $ 7,044.89 $ Convention 2024 - $ - $ Ways & Means 800.00 $ - $ Industry Advisor 100.00 $ - $ History $ 10.00 - $ Awards/Gifts 7,000.00 $ Conferences SNA Conference (ANC) 6,000.00 $ 1,207.72 $ SNA Legislative Conference (LAC) 7,600.00 $ - $ MdSNA Conference 1,500.00 $ - $ SNA Leadership (NLC) 6,000.00 $ - $ Future Leaders 2,000.00 $ - $ SNA SEA Conference 500.00 $ 267.87 $ MdSNA Leadership Conference 1,000.00 $ - $ Total Expenditures $ 15,416.54 55,820.00 $ Net Income $ 142,165.00 $ 189,255.37
To: MdSNA House of Delegates Subject: House of Delegates: Annual Report for Year: Name: Committee: Goals Achievements Recommendations Carroll County Schools Food Service Association Suzette Arrington, Rebecca Mann & Wendy Senseney 2022-2023 1. Obtain 100% membership to the association 2. Provide scholarships to graduates going into the hospitality field and provide scholarships to graduates of food service association members. 1. We achieved the 100% membership for the 2nd year in a row. 2. We had no applicants for the hospitality management scholarship. 3. We awarded 3 scholarships to graduating children of our association totaling $1000. 1. Form a fund raising commitee.
To: MdSNA House of Delegates Subject: House of Delegates: Annual Report for Year: 2023 Cecil County SNA Goals Our goal in Cecil County was to increase membership and participation, increase our community presence and boost our chapter funds. Achievements Increase Membership: We were able to add new members to our board to fill open positions. Our new members stepped in to fill important roles and help with the participation issues we were facing. We still have not reached participation levels we were hoping for, but we hope to work on that this year as well. Increase our community presence: We were involved in community activities and held events where our students and their families could participate. Our bingo was our most successful event. Boost Chapter Funds: We were able to raise a lot of money last year and use our money to give back to our kids. We were very proud to sponsor students going to SKILLSUSA and give money to families for Christmas. We also raised enough money to send our chapter board to the convention this year! Recommendations
To: MdSNA House of Delegates Subject: House of Delegates: Annual Report for Year: 2023 Name: LuAnn Klink Chapter: Garrett County Goals -Be advocates for child nutrition -Encourage members to grow in their career -Promote SNA Achievements Members have been visible advocates not only during the school year but during our summer feeding program. Workshops, communications, and convention information is communicated to members and they are encouraged to take advantage of all of the opportunities that are part of membership in SNA. Recommendations Continue setting achievable goals for the chapter and supporting MdSNA.
To: MdSNA House of Delegates Subject: House of Delegates: Annual Report for Year: 2022-2023 Name: Jennifer Tribull Committee: HCSNA (Harford County) Goals 1. Rebuilding our local association and getting bye-in from our team members. 2. Develop a clear plan to nominate members for state awards. Achievements 1. We have held several fundraisers and professional development seminars throughout the year. With each one, participation has grown as well as the excitement regarding HCSNA. Goals for next year will include the continuation of rebuilding our association. 2. Developing a Microsoft form for nominating potential candidates for awards has been instrumental. The feedback we received enabled our executive committee to send the best of the best to the state level. Our goal for the future is to continue to grow our nominations committee and develop a clear-cut rubric for those who should go above the county level. Recommendations We believe it would be helpful to have a calendar from MDSNA at the beginning of the school year stating when meetings are and when items are due. Such as, serving spoon articles, Plan of work, house of delegates.
To: MdSNA House of Delegates Subject: House of Delegates: Annual Report for Year: 2023 Name: Kristine Daywalt- President Committee: Washington County Chapter Goals -Get more members involved in our local chapters committee and volunteering. -Prepare a scholarship initiative -Create other ways of communication to members Achievements With last year being my first year as president I felt our chapter was very successful. We have already had our first committee meeting for the year and started planning many events to gain more committee members’ interest as well as membership. (Ice cream social, Bingo, ornament exchange, potlucks and many more) Myself as well as my Vice President and a committee member plan on attending the MDSNA conference in Ocean City to network and ask other chapters how they gain participation. We plan to create our own local Facebook page to reach our members. Create a scholarship opportunity for a student in the food service field and/or one of our current members. We are hoping/planning for another successful year. Recommendations Simplify the process/regs for submitting awards.
To: MdSNA House of Delegates Subject: House of Delegates: Annual Report for Year: 2023 Name: LuAnn Klink Committee: House of Delegates Goals Have a successful House of Delegates with good participation. Achievements House of Delegates meeting was held. Recommendations Increase participation of membership.
Page 24 | Serving Spoon, Winter 2022 Maryland School Nutrition Association Federal & State Legislative Updates Barbara Harral and I are temporarily covering State Legislation until we can get a volunteer to take this position. We will train the volunteer all the way through the next General Assembly Meeting from January 11 until April 10, 2023. It is a very good year to come into this position. Mary Klatko MdSNA Federal & State Legislative Chair FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATE As you are all aware the federal government has stopped the Universal Free Meals Program where they paid for all breakfasts and lunches served to students during the past 2 years. SNA and all state affiliates are trying to get that program back to provide for student’s nutritional needs. We are not having any luck at the federal level although we have a Secretary of Agriculture who would grant it if he had the power which only belongs to Congress. There is one bill sponsored by Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Programs that have not been reauthorized since 2010 in the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, but they should be reauthorized every 5 years. There is no companion bill in the House. We are hopeful there will be a House bill and both will contain the Universal Free Meals Provision we used to have for the past 2 school years. We are hopeful but not optimistic. To follow up on the website article in this edition of the Serving Spoon, we have read several articles that say that nine states believe in the value of the free school meal programs to students and are funding or have legislation proposing funding the free breakfasts and lunches for all students with the states paying the difference between the federal reimbursement and the cost of the meal determined by USDA. Colorado had a unique proposition on the recent ballot titled Proposition FF that would cover the $100 million dollar cost of Universal Free Meals to students by limiting the amount that people earning more than $300,000.00 per year can deduct from their state taxes. The proposition passed which may provide a path to at least explore the possibility in other states. There is a pilot program operating in 8 states to provide free breakfasts and lunches to students who receive Medicaid Assistance for medical reasons. Maryland has been approved to participate in that program which will add a large number of students to the program. The list is provided by the Maryland State Department of Education. Continued on next page.
Maryland School Nutrition Association Serving Spoon, Winter 2022 | Page 25 MARYLAND STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Barbara Harral and I are temporarily covering State Legislation until we can get a volunteer to take this position. We will train the volunteer all the way through the next General Assembly Meeting from January 11 until April 10, 2023. It is a very good year to come into this position. We are in negotiations with a state Delegate Kirill Reznik on the language of a Universal Free Breakfast and Lunch Program bill for Maryland. We had a zoom meeting with him and his aide and we offered him a written proposal. Cost is always a major concern which is why we are going back to the previously approved plan to have the cost of a reduced-price breakfast and lunch to the student phased in over 3 years. That was the .10-.30 cost for reduced price breakfast and .40 cents for reduced price lunches. That process is now completely phased in Maryland. MdSNA’s proposal for a Maryland State Bill on Universal FREE School Breakfasts and Lunches funding for all students is as follows: Three years to go to Universal Free School Breakfasts and lunches in Maryland: • 2025 state pays difference between federal and state reimbursement and the USDA cost for all Breakfasts and Lunches for all students in 50% and above FARMS schools, not just Direct Certification schools • 2026 state pays difference between federal and state reimbursement and the USDA cost for all Breakfasts and Lunches for all students in 25% and above FARMS schools, not just Direct Certification schools • 2027 state pays difference between federal and state reimbursement and the USDA cost for all breakfasts and lunches for all students in all schools. You may be wondering why we wrote FARMS schools and not just Direct Certification schools. Direct certification students are approved by a state agency. FARMS students are approved from their application to your school system. Community Eligibility is based on Direct Certification. Example: A school district can have 15,000 FARMS students and only 8,000 Direct Certification students so we want the entire 15,000 FARMS students fed Breakfast and Lunch daily which does include Direct Certification students. Since that meeting we had with the Delegate, there was a zoom call set up by “Share Our Strength” and “No Kids Hungry” to gather information from their perspective on what they would like to present to Delegate Reznik. The Delegate is interested in talking to the Heart Association, then we meet again with him and those groups he is talking to about the bill. As of this writing, we have no additional information on what it will contain but we have seen a draft written by the Legislative Services Branch that does not reflect our goals. We have written an entirely new bill and sent it to the delegate that does reflect our goals. We hope he accepts it. SNA has checked it and approves. Please remember this bill would be introduced in the next General Assembly Meeting, somewhere between January 11 and April 10, 2023. If we need you to attend or testify we will contact you. Mary Klatko, Federal Legislative Chairman [email protected] 410-320-0317
Page 20 | Serving Spoon, Spring 2023 Maryland School Nutrition Association Federal & State Legislative Updates Barbara Harral and I are temporarily covering State Legislation until we can get a volunteer to take this position. We will train the volunteer all the way through the next General Assembly Meeting from January 11 until April 10, 2023. It is a very good year to come into this position. Mary Klatko MdSNA Federal & State Legislative Chair FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATE S pring is here and so are lots of Workshops and Training Opportunities for earning credits for certification and credentialing. The next workshops have to do with Federal and State Legislation. SNA is hosting their annual Legislative Action Conference on March 5 and 6, 2023. Many members of MdSNA will be attending. SNA will go over the Position Paper and Talking Points that we will use at our March 9, 2023 MdSNA Legislative Action Conference via a zoom call from 2:00 to 4:00 pm so you will be able to join the call after lunch is served. We will present and discuss the documents with the Legislative Aides of all 10 members of Congress representing Maryland and 10 Industry Members. Attached you will find a copy of the 2023 SNA Position Paper. There has been no action on Capitol Hill concerning the Child Nutrition Programs. Senator Diane Feinstein from CA is chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee that oversees this Legislation. She has decided to retire when her term ends in 2 years. It has been 13 Years since the Child Nutrition Programs have been reauthorized allowing for changes, including in reimbursement. It is supposed to be looked at for potential changes every 5 years. I’m sure there will be no action on it in the next two years either. STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE This has been the most exciting year at the state level. Yes, we have had legislation for Maryland Meals For Achievement in 1998 and we got the Maryland Cares for Kids Act in 2018 which eliminated all co-pays for reduced price students. A new day has arrived. Delegate Kirill Reznik emailed me and asked us to help him write a bill about Universal Breakfast and Continued on next page.
Maryland School Nutrition Association Serving Spoon, Spring 2023 | Page 21 Lunch for all students in Public and Private Schools in Maryland. You know I said yes. Barbara Harral and I are co-chairing the State Legislative Chair Position. We scoured legislation from states who have implemented this legislation or are planning to enter Legislation for their state. I sent the Delegate the language we wanted, which he ultimately used verbatim. A copy follows and labeled submitted by MdSNA. The language is Megan Doran and Jeff Proulx testify (above). Mary Klatko (second from the left) testifies (below). woven into an existing bill that authorizes the two other bills, MMFA and Reduced Price Payments for students so they no longer pay for meals. All the new parts concerning Universal Free Breakfast and Lunch for all students in all public and private schools were added to the existing bill attached. House HB628 and SB557 are Identical and were heard on February 22, 2023. Mike Embly and I testified before the House Ways and Means Committee and Megan Doran and Jeff Proulx testified before the Senate Appropriations and Taxation Committee. Barbara Harral and Jodi Risse sent written testimony. There was a press conference for our bill in the morning and a rally in the afternoon on February 22, 2023. We had 17 organizations testify for the bill which was the most for that day, including a Representative for the Board of Education who said, “We do not charge students for books based on family income,” and Mike Embly, Director in Washington County, ended his testimony with “We feed prisoners 3 meals a day so why can’t we feed our students, the future of this country, 2 meals per day” (pictured on next page). There are 50 organizations in a coalition which we belong to and 33 Delegates and Senators who signed up to support the bill. Chelsey White from Washington County has been posting messages on social media for MdSNA. If you want to post them too, the list of messages is attached. The Department of Legislative Services did an analysis and estimates that the bill will cost $90 million dollars per year. That’s a lot of money was most delegates reaction. There is a 2.5 billion dollar Continued on next page.
Page 22 | Serving Spoon, Spring 2023 Maryland School Nutrition Association surplus in the Maryland State Budget and of course everyone, including us, wants to find appropriate ways to spend it. Let’s hope we are successful. Start posting. We are very happy with the way this all went but we were told this is not the end. We will need to continue to work hard to support this bill and garner Delegates and Senator's yes vote. We will keep you informed of progress or delay as we head to the end of this session of the Maryland General Assembly on April 10, 2023. Happy spring! Mary Klatko, Federal Legislative Chairman [email protected] 410-320-0317 Continued on pages 24-33. Continued, Legislative Report.... Mike Embly (second from the left), Washington County, testifies.
Page 24 | Serving Spoon, Spring 2023 Maryland School Nutrition Association 2023 Position Paper Thanks to support from Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), school meal programs provided students consistent access to nutritious meals and assisted families in need throughout the pandemic. While The Keep Kids Fed Act helped these programs transition to normal operations in Fall 2022, Congress must address long-term economic and regulatory challenges. Ensuring the sustainability of school meal programs is invaluable, as research shows school meals support student health and academic achievement by improving children’s diets and combatting hunger. The non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) urges Congress to: • Make permanent the reimbursement rate increases for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program (NSLP/SBP), provided in the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act (PL 117-158). Acute supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and inflation have dramatically increased costs for school meal programs. In a recent SNA survey of school nutrition directors, increasing costs was the top challenge cited by nearly all respondents (99.8%). Despite additional Keep Kids Fed Act funds, 56.6% reported the higher reimbursement rate fails to cover the cost of producing school lunch; 54.7% cited the school breakfast rate as inadequate. Nearly all respondents (99.2%) expressed concern about reimbursement adequacy when these additional funds expire in July 2023. School meal programs will become financially unsustainable. Losses will cut into education budgets, impeding efforts to meet the needs of students and jeopardizing progress in school nutrition programs. • Expand NSLP/SBP to offer healthy school meals for all students at no charge. Providing equal access to free school meals during the pandemic ensured all students were fueled for success. In school districts that now must charge for meals, 66.8% of nutrition directors reported an increase in stigma for low-income students, 86.8% cited increased concerns from families and 96.3% reported an increase in unpaid meal charges or debt, a burden on families and school district budgets. SNA supports offering free school meals to all students and proposals to advance this goal, including expanding the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), eliminating the reduced-price category and making permanent the Direct Certification with Medicaid pilot program. • Ensure USDA maintains current school nutrition standards, rather than implements additional, unachievable rules. Research shows students eat their healthiest meals at school, thanks to current nutrition standards requiring school meals to include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat milk. In February, USDA proposed stricter, long-term nutrition rules. However, 88.8% of school nutrition directors reported challenges obtaining sufficient menu items (e.g. whole-grain, low-sodium, low-fat options) to meet current standards. Additionally, 97.8% are concerned about the availability of foods to meet the July 2023 transitional sodium limits. To keep students eating healthy school meals, USDA must support school nutrition professionals as they work to maintain current standards. • Reduce regulatory and administrative burdens. Overly complex federal regulations divert resources from the mission of serving students and impede efforts to quickly and creatively adapt meal services during emergencies. Congress should direct USDA to implement the recommendations of the congressionally-mandated Child Nutrition Reporting Burden Analysis Study and the forthcoming Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of USDA Foods in Schools.
Maryland School Nutrition Association Serving Spoon, Spring 2023 | Page 25 HB628 Providing Free School Meals to All Students in Maryland Public and Private Schools who participate in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs As submitted by MdSNA to Delegate Reznik and now appears verbatim in HB628/SB557 A public or private school that serves breakfast and lunch shall provide to all students who are not eligible for free or reduced-price meals a breakfast and lunch that meets the requirements of the Federal National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs at no cost to the student. The State shall provide to the public or private school funding equal to the difference between the federal and state reimbursement and the USDA cost for free breakfast and free lunch for each student not eligible for a free or reduced-price school breakfast and lunch and receiving breakfast and lunch at school. To the extent possible, a school that serves school breakfast and lunch and is eligible for the community eligibility provision that is financially feasible for the school under the federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, Public Law, 111-296, Section 104(a) shall assess participation in the program including the federal resources available in that program to expand access to school breakfast and lunch at no cost for all students at a school. A school or school administrative unit shall request the parent or guardian of each student to complete a household income form provided by the department to determine a family's economic status to determine eligibility for state and federal food assistance programs under this subchapter. This requirement does not apply if the school or school administrative unit is able to obtain equivalent information through another means. This bill requires the State of Maryland to pay the difference between the federal reimbursement for a free school breakfast and lunch and the USDA full cost for a school breakfast and lunch at no cost to the students in public and private schools participating in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs who are not eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. Schools are to assess the financial feasibility of participation in the federal community eligibility program to expand access to school breakfast and lunch at no cost for all students at particular schools.
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Page 32 | Serving Spoon, Spring 2023 Maryland School Nutrition Association AHA – Healthy School Lunches for All / Keep Our Kids Fed for Success Social Graphics Link: See attached Hashtags #Fed4Success #MDGA2023 Sample Posts (Twitter) • During the pandemic, we kept millions of children from going hungry by providing school meals at no cost. But now that federal support is gone and it’s our job to bring those meals back. #Fed4Success https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • Research shows that free school meal programs improved attendance, academic performance, and decreased tardiness, among participating students. Be the support that keeps our kids #Fed4Success https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • Better days start with a full belly – as proven by meal programs that keep a student’s body and mind ready to take on the school day. #Fed4Success https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • Kids should be focusing on their next math quiz, not their next meal. Keep our kids #Fed4Success by signing our pledge. https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • Reach out to your lawmakers in support of healthy school meals for students in Maryland. Your voice is critical to help them thrive. https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • We have a chance to bring back the free school meals to students in Maryland, but we can’t do it without your help. Reach out to your lawmakers and let them know to keep our students #Fed4Success https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b Sample Posts (Facebook/LinkedIn) • During the pandemic, we kept millions of children from going hungry by providing school meals at no cost. But now that federal support is gone and it’s our job to bring those meals back. #Fed4Success https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • Research shows that free school meal programs improved attendance, academic performance, and decreased tardiness, among participating students. Be the support that keeps our kids #Fed4Success https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b
Maryland School Nutrition Association Serving Spoon, Spring 2023 | Page 33 • Better days start with a full belly – as proven by meal programs that keep a student’s body and mind ready to take on the school day. #Fed4Success https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • Kids should be focusing on their next math quiz, not their next meal. Keep our kids #Fed4Success by signing our pledge. https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • Sign our pledge in support of healthy school meals for students in Maryland. Your voice is critical to help them thrive. https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b • We have a chance to bring back the free school meals children need to succeed in school, but we can’t do it without your help. Reach out to your lawmakers and let them know to keep our students #Fed4Success https://act.yourethecure.org/M5ldP3b Sample Posts (Instagram) • During the pandemic, we kept millions of children from going hungry by providing school meals at no cost. But now that federal support is gone and it’s our job to bring those meals back. Check out the link in our bio. #Fed4Success • Research shows that free school meal programs improved attendance, academic performance, and decreased tardiness, among participating students. Be the support that keeps our kids. Check out the link in our bio. #Fed4Success • Better days start with a full belly – as proven by meal programs that keep a student’s body and mind ready to take on the school day. Check out the link in our bio. #Fed4Success • Kids should be focusing on their next math quiz, not their next meal. Keep our kids #Fed4Success by signing our pledge. Check out the link in our bio. #Fed4Success • Sign our pledge in support of healthy school meals for students in Maryland. Your voice is critical to help them thrive. Check out the link in our bio. #Fed4Success • We have a chance to bring back the free school meals children need to succeed in school, but we can’t do it without your help. Reach out to your lawmakers and let them know to keep our students #Fed4Success. Check out the link in our bio.
Page 30 | Serving Spoon, Summer 2023 Maryland School Nutrition Association otos. com/ Federal & State Legislative Updates Barbara Harral and I are temporarily covering State Legislation until we elect a new chair to this position. We will train the volunteer for an entire year as we pursue UNIVERSAL MEALS FOR STUDENTS. Mary Klatko MdSNA Federal & State Legislative Chair FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATE The MdSNA President, President-Elect, Vice President and Federal Legislative Chair plus 5 Team Leaders attended all or some of the SNA Legislative Action Conference, (LAC) held in Washington, DC on March 5 and 6, 2023. 800 members from all 50 states attended. The topics and speakers were excellent. Jodi Risse, Supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services in Anne Arundel County presented on a panel discussing state support for the Child Nutrition Programs. Jodi took a unique approach showing the State of Maryland’s History of State Support for the Child Nutrition Programs over the years. View the slides by clicking here or navigate to the MdSNA.org website under Legislation, then State. MdSNA tried to get our bill passed requiring Maryland’s state government to pay the difference between what the federal government provides in reimbursement and the cost of school breakfast and lunch per USDA. We would like to add that accomplishment to the History of Maryland State’s support for Child Nutrition Programs. Mary Klatko and Jodi Risse were interviewed by the editor of the SNA Magazine. Click here to access this special edition of the magazine which is also on our website MdSNA.org under Legislation, then State. Our two Maryland pages are attached. There were 5 state Representatives interviewed. The 5 state reps including Jodi will presented a webinar on May 24, 2023, on the state legislative process. So far 9 states have passed bills to provide financial support so that no students pay anything for breakfast and lunch in their schools. 23 more states have introduced bills that are not passed yet. We are one of the 23 that did not pass the bill this year but rest assured we are already planning to introduce it again next session of the Maryland General Assembly between January and April, 2024. Continued on next page.
Maryland School Nutrition Association Serving Spoon, Summer 2023 | Page 31 On Thursday, March 9, 2023 we hosted a “Zoom to the Hill” meeting for our members and the Maryland Congressional Aides. It has worked well for us the last few years and the Aides like it. When they are on a zoom call, they say they do not get interrupted and can intently pay attention to the speakers. The SNA Position Paper was the focus of the conversation. There were 4 issues this year: 1. Make permanent the reimbursement rate increases for the National School Lunch Program which is .40 cents for Lunch and Breakfast Programs would be .28 cents (NSLP/SBP), provided in the bipartisan “Keep Kids Fed Act” (PL 117-158). 2. Expand NSLP/SBP to offer healthy school meals to all students at no charge. 3. Ensure USDA maintains current school nutrition standards, rather than implement additional, unachievable rules. 4. Reduce Regulatory and Administrative burdens. The School Meals Expansion Act introduced by Representative Morgan McGarvey (D-KS) if passed would: 1. Allow more students to receive meals without a free lunch application if the school can take advantage of the Community Eligibility Program CEP). 2. Increase the CEP multiplier from 1.6 to 2.5 3. Expand eligibility for CEP by lowering the identifier from 40% to 25% as noted in the SNA Position Paper. There is another bill that was introduced by Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) called the School Meals During School Closures Act that would allow states or school districts to serve subsidized meals during disruptions such as extreme weather, emergency repairs or school closures. Nine of the ten Maryland Aides stated their members of Congress or Senators would support all of our requests. One of the Congressman has always not supported spending money on school meal programs and generally does not vote favorably on them. The same response was received this year from that Congressman’s Aide, Overall, however, it was a very successful MdSNA conference as stated in the report I sent to SNA after our “Zoom to the Hill” Meeting on March 9, 2023. SNA has been calling our attention to the “proposed” New Dietary Guidelines for Students. Click here to read about it. There are different dates for implementation within the next 6 years. The focus is on sodium reduction, added sugar reduction for the first time ever, 80% of all grains offered in a week must be whole grains but it would allow schools to have non-whole grains once a week such as on taco day, allowing only unflavored nonfat milk to the youngest students up through middle school but allowing flavored milk in high schools. The Public Comment period ended May 5, 2023, then USDA will start issuing regulations. We have sent this information in our emails to Directors Continued on next page.
Page 32 | Serving Spoon, Summer 2023 Maryland School Nutrition Association and Chapter Leaders and are hopeful some of you took advantage of the opportunity to comment. A big concern is the availability of the products being specified with the new nutritional requirements. The new Dietary Guidelines Committee for the 2025-30 Report has been appointed and are meeting now. All meetings are open to the public to listen in on Zoom. Click here for video meetings schedule and login information. An update on the Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs is as follows. Senator Diane Feinstein is and has been out of the Senate for over 2 months due to illness. She is the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee that has jurisdiction over the Child Nutrition Programs and is the one who would chair the committee to start the Reauthorization process. That doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon. Recently I read that Senator Fetterman, newly elected from Pennsylvania, who has also been out of the Senate for over 2 months also due to illness has returned to work and was made Chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. I hold no hope of Reauthorization in the near future. I hope I am wrong but we shall see. STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE The Maryland General Assembly did hear testimony on our bill aimed at state funding for the Universal Free Breakfast and Lunch Programs. The House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee is where we testified. Megan Doran, President and Jeff Proulx, from Washington County testified in the Senate and Mike Embly, Washington County and Mary Klatko, Federal and State Legislative Chairman testified in the House. Barbara Harral and Jodi Risse sent written testimony. There were lots of people testifying but unfortunately there was never a vote taken in either committee, therefore there was never a vote on the floor of the House or Senate so the bill was not passed. That does not mean we give up. We will be back next year. The reason there were no votes we were told is because there was no money to support the new program, which was estimated at $90 million dollars the first year with a probable increase in future years based on increased participation. Continued, Legislative Report.... Rally at Annapolis State House on March 15, 2023 Continued on next page.
Maryland School Nutrition Association Serving Spoon, Summer 2023 | Page 33 USDA is floating a proposal to lower the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) rate to 25% which if passed would lower the state’s financial obligation. In the state of Maryland there are 4 counties that are 100% CEP with the possibility of more being added at the 100% rate. Next year may be a better year to try to gain passage of the Maryland bill. The March 2023 edition of the Serving Spoon had several attachments including the SNA Position Paper, a copy of the bill we wrote, the bill as presented to the committees which has 2 older bills in it where the new bill was added, exactly as we wrote it. Click here to view the edition and TURN TO PAGE 20. A bill to add 5 million dollars to Maryland Meals for Achievement was passed allowing the addition of 123 more schools to the Breakfast in the Classroom Program. Megan Doran, President, and Cody Wilt, President Elect attended the signing of the bill. See the photo below of Governor Wes Moore signing the bill. The Maryland General Assembly finished its year on April 10, 2023. 800 bills were passed but not ours this year but we never give up so we will try again next year. Hope you all have a great summer and kudos to those operating a Summer Meals Program. We appreciate all members' dedication to the Child Nutrition Programs. Mary Klatko, Federal Legislative Chairman [email protected] 410-320-0317 Megan Doran, MdSNA President, and Cody Wilt, MdSNA President Elect, back left-center at the signing of the Maryland Meals for Achievement bill.
Page 34 | Serving Spoon, Summer 2023 Maryland School Nutrition Association 11 | SN plus | 2023 MOBILIZING IN MARYLAND No one can accuse school nutrition professionals of throwing in the towel when a worthy goal is on the line! In Maryland, school nutrition advocates have been working to improve access to school meals since 1998, with the pilot of the ground-breaking Maryland Meals for Achievement initiative supporting school breakfast through alternate service models such as breakfast in the classroom. Positioned as a research project, the program’s outstanding results (improved academic performance, school attendance and student attention, with decreased behavior concerns and school nurse visits) have served as the foundation for school breakfast advocacy for more than 20 years. Flash forward to today. In 2022, longtime Maryland School Nutrition Association (MdSNA) leader Mary Klatko, Federal Legislative Chair, was asked to team up with Immediate Past President Barbara Harral to co-chair the Association’s State Legislative Committee following the departure of the former chair. Klatko had already testified before the state Senate on a bill that would extend universal breakfast and lunch in SY2022-23. MdSNA’s position was to support the bill “with amendments.” The bill was not voted out of committee, and its sponsor, Delegate Kirill Reznik, asked Klatko to explain why she had not given it her full support. “I explained that it was because the bill was poorly written, and to my surprise, he agreed!” recounts Klatko. “He then suggested that we work together to get it passed in the 2023 session of the Maryland General Assembly. Barbara and I consulted on the language, and he took it verbatim.” This is what can result when you’ve built a reputation as the expert authority, and MdSNA’s long commitment to advocacy and relationship-building has earned the group’s representatives this respect. Reznik added the new language to the latest
Maryland School Nutrition Association Serving Spoon, Summer 2023 | Page 35 12 | SN plus | 2023 iteration of a bill initially proposed in 2016 to eliminate the reduced-price copay. Unfortunately, the new legislation, SB0557/HB0628, seeking universal expansion, had not moved out of Committee by the end of Maryland’s legislative session in April. Klatko says she and her colleagues were surprised that the bill did not move forward. “The Maryland budget had a $2.2 billion surplus, so we anticipated there would be financial support for the bill but we were wrong,” she says. “We testified before both Committees, with large numbers of advocates present, representing our coalition. We also organized email campaigns to key lawmakers, encouraged MdSNA members to send emails and posted on social media. But the bill did not move.” MdSNA is committed to keep trying. “We garnered tons of support for the legislation this year,” says Klatko, pointing to a rally that earned media coverage by TV networks and other news organizations. “And we have a group ready to get together in the fall to plan next year’s campaign. Delegate Reznik was hired by Governor Wes Moore, so we’ll need a new sponsor in the General Assembly, but we already have several offers.” Klatko’s closing thoughts reflect the dogged determination that advocacy often requires. “The University of Maryland’s mascot is a terrapin [a type of turtle]. They move slowly, but they always get where they want to go,” she notes. “MdSNA will get there next year—or the following year or the one following that. But we will get this bill passed and financially supported.” SN+ Patricia Fitzgerald is Editor of School Nutrition. DON’T MISS WEBINAR! Healthy School Meals for All: Successful State Strategies May 24, 1:00 pm ET State advocates play an integral role in educating legislators, stakeholders and the public about the importance of expanding school meal programs. In this webinar, advocates from California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland and Pennsylvania will come together to share lessons learned from their advocacy efforts within the various political realities of their communities. Visit www.pathlms.com/sna/courses/ 53194/webinars/35887 for details and to register.