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Nutrition director: new grants, CEP renewal and expanded summer meals for Brookings-Harbor students
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Summary
Cindy Devos, the district nutrition director, told the board the district secured multiple federal and state nutrition grants, has applied to renew Community Eligibility Program status and will run summer meal service; she said an additional $90,751 was recently awarded for fresh produce.
Cindy Devos, the Brookings-Harbor SD 17C nutrition director, told the school board on April 15 that the district has secured a set of nutrition grants and program approvals that will support breakfast and fresh produce for students.
"$2,023 for each school with [the] Breakfast After the Bell grant," Devos said, and she described several other awards and allocations that support school meals. She reported a recurring Oregon Farm to School grant of $6,391.60 and said she had set aside $21,023 for the USDA/DOD Fresh Fruits and Vegetables program. "I recently requested and have been awarded an additional $90,751," Devos said, noting the district had exhausted earlier DOD funding and needs additional funds to stock salad bars and produce stations.
The board was also briefed on the district's Community Eligibility Program (CEP) status, which allows eligible high-poverty schools to offer free breakfast and lunch without household applications. Devos said all three schools had been approved for CEP in January 2024 with an enrollment figure she reported as 1,341 and a districtwide free-claiming percentage previously reported as about 86%. She told the board that current district enrollment is 1,185 and that the districtwide percentage used for the CEP calculation stands at about 51% (plus a state-added adjustment that she described as an automatic 20% when the state reviews renewals). Devos said she had applied for CEP renewal and expected an outcome on or before April 20.
Devos outlined summer meal plans: a closed, enrolled program for ESY students from June 8–18 and a non-congregate community breakfast and lunch program for children ages 1–18 from June 22–July 23. She also described a small closed program August 10–14 for Kinder Academy prior to the new school year.
Devos summarized a recent administrative review by the state (an on- and off-site review in March) that produced four findings requiring corrective action; she said corrective actions were completed and closed on March 19. The reviewer praised the nutrition staff for efficient service, good food-handling practices and nutritious menus.
Board members asked operational questions about students who arrive after the bell. Devos said students who come late may go to the cafeteria, get breakfast and then proceed to class; office staff commonly help route late students to the cafeteria. The board also discussed the district practice of purchasing local produce and other fresh items rather than prepackaged processed foods.
The district's next step on this set of items is the CEP renewal outcome, which Devos said should be known by April 20. She will continue to manage grant awards and summer meal logistics as the district moves into the summer schedule.
