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State school nutrition director outlines goals, procurement pilot and End Hunger Task Force updates
Summary
Josh Nelly, Tennessee state director of school nutrition, reviewed program goals, federal funding status during the federal shutdown, collaboration with other states, and announced Hamilton County’s selection for a national procurement pilot.
Josh Nelly, state director of school nutrition at the Tennessee Department of Education, told statewide school nutrition staff on the department’s quarterly call that the agency has three goal areas this year — foundational support, operational support and external engagement — and that staff are already implementing changes intended to help districts. He also said the department received some federal funds before the recent federal shutdown and will send updates as USDA guidance becomes available.
Nelly opened with a broad program mission and a note about persistence: "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I will try again tomorrow," he said. He framed the department’s work as supporting local programs so they “serve nutritious meals, fuel student success and build thriving communities.”
Nelly outlined specific activities under the three goal areas. For foundational support, the department collaborated with two states to produce a new SFA checklist for new school food authorities joining the program and created a cross-training backup list for staff. Under operational support, he said his team has a bimonthly meeting with the state Department of Agriculture and transferred $1,000,000 to Agriculture to reimburse districts for USDA Foods storage costs; the department expects districts to see those payments in November or December.
On external engagement, Nelly described outreach visits — including to Kingsport City for a ribbon-cutting of a mobile milk dispenser — and said the department modified language in a State Board of Education policy to strengthen program messaging. He also said the department participates in a multi-state procurement advisory group with the Urban School Food Alliance and that Hamilton County was selected as one of five districts nationwide to pilot alternative procurement methods intended to improve efficiency.
Looking ahead, Nelly said the procurement group will finalize a national bid template and that he will return to Washington, D.C., in February as the work concludes. He asked districts to watch for follow-up communications and said the department will use feedback from recent S&P Academy events and conference comments to plan future trainings and conferences.
There were no formal motions or votes connected to the updates presented; Nelly’s remarks were informational and described administrative transfers and program collaborations already undertaken or in progress.
