In celebration of Juneteenth, Region 6 ESC will be closed on Thursday, June 19th, and Friday, June 20th. We’ll be back and ready to serve you on Monday, June 23rd. Wishing everyone a joyful and reflective holiday!

We’re excited to welcome Jeff Fillmore as our new Child Nutrition Technician! Jeff brings valuable experience as a former Child Nutrition Director and has also worked with a Food Service Management Company (FSMC). He is eager to provide technical assistance and support to our districts and is looking forward to meeting many of you in person at our Summer Workshop next month! You can reach Jeff at jfillmore@esc6.net or 936-435-8234.

School Food Authorities (SFAs) with a positive or zero balance in their nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2024, are exempt from PLE pricing requirements for SY 2025-2026 per the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2025. This exemption is reflected in USDA policy memo SP 12-2025, Paid Lunch Equity: Guidance for School Year 2025-2026, released May 14, 2025.
As such, an SFA with a zero or positive fund balance as of June 30, 2024, has two options:
• Complete and apply the SY 2025-2026 PLE calculation to the SFA’s meal pricing structure. If an SFA chooses this option, the SFA will adjust meal prices as appropriate to the PLE calculation. The CE must retain the completed PLE calculation tool and other documentation demonstrating how the CE determined the meal prices to be charged; or
• Choose not to complete and not to apply the SY 2025-2026 PLE calculation. If the SFA chooses this option, the SFA may increase meal prices, but is not required to do so. The SFA must retain financial documentation that demonstrates the SFA has reconciled all costs incurred and income received through June 30, 2024, and determined that it has a zero or positive fund balance. If the SFA chooses to increase meal prices, the SFA needs to retain documentation demonstrating the amount of the price increase.
Please note that TDA recommends all SFAs perform the PLE calculation each year and retain all related documentation as information recorded in the calculation tool may be helpful if the SFA does not qualify for an exemption in the future.
More information on PLE is available in the Administrator’s Reference Manual, Section 19, Meal Pricing.

On May 6, USDA issued Policy Memo SP 11-2025, CACFP 09-2025, SFSP 05-2025, Using Federal Funds to Purchase Local Foods. The purpose of this memorandum is to remind schools, sponsors, and institutions participating in any U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child Nutrition Program (CNP), including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), Special Milk Program for Children (SMP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO), of the many ways they can purchase local foods to serve in Program meals.
Sourcing and serving locally grown foods, and other farm to school activities, such as taste testing, gardening, and agriculture education, can infuse new energy and vision into CNP operations, support community health, create new opportunities for American farmers, invest Federal dollars in local economies, and strengthen strategies to encourage healthy choices.

Congress recently signed a Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act for 2025 that includes three provisions affecting the CNPs. In response to this, USDA released policy memo SP 13-2025, Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025: Effect on Child Nutrition Programs on May 14, 2025, detailing the effect of the Act on the CNPs.

We want to celebrate the incredible work your district did through the Local Food for Schools (LFS) grant! Whether it’s new partnerships with local farms, student engagement, or highlighting a favorite menu item, TDA wants to hear about it. Please submit your success story here.

The application deadline for the HMI Recognition Awards is June 30, 2025! Visit the HMI website for more information and apply today!

Visit USDA for more information on the Final Rule and upcoming changes. Let us know what kind of resources would best support you in implementing these new meal standards – Click here!

School Year 2025-2026
• WBSCM: Before heading out for summer break, ensure your team logs into WBSCM to maintain an active status. Check your user accounts to confirm that appropriate SFA staff members are active, have the correct roles assigned, and have up-to-date email addresses.
• Direct Delivery Items: Round 2 is complete. WBSCM requisitions are either associated with truckload sales order numbers or canceled (blank).
• Tracking USDA Foods: Requests for USDA Foods can be monitored using the WBSCM Requisition Status Report. Pricing fluctuations will continue until items reach “Purchased” status.
• Gold Star Foods: A new warehouse in Fort Worth will be utilized for the upcoming school year. TDA has updated all SY26 requisitions to reflect this change.
• DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program: If you opted into this program, it will be displayed on your WBSCM Entitlement/Bonus Summary Report. TDA will load these funds into FFAVORS in late June. Note that unspent values in WBSCM cannot be moved to increase DoD Fresh program funds.
• Utilization of DoD Funds: TDA monitors monthly DoD fund usage in FFAVORS to ensure proper entitlement management. SFAs should aim to spend at least 10% of their funds per month to avoid the risk of redistribution.
• Resources: For helpful guidance on ordering USDA Foods, visit the Food Distribution Program for NSLP page.

School Year 2024-2025
DoD Fresh FFV Program Participants:
• Complete receipts in FFAVORS for each delivery within two business days of the delivery date.
• Sales orders in “Order Received” status are available at your contracted warehouse and must be placed on a delivery schedule promptly.
• If needed, check with your contracted warehouse for available surplus.
For questions regarding USDA Foods, contact your Education Service Center Child Nutrition representative(s) for guidance, training, and technical assistance in WBSCM.

Annual Redistribution of Pounds (Processing)
JULY 1, 2025: The annual redistribution of pounds is applied to all Recipient Agency accounts participating in USDA Foods for further processing. Order deliveries for the current program year must be delivered to your location by June 30, 2025.

YTD Account Reconciliation (Processing)
Check your processing account balances online, 24/7. Tracking systems also provide reports for year-to-date usage comparison and end-of-year reconciliation in various metrics that include cases, pounds, and dollars. Routinely checking balances can ensure pounds are being drawn down properly, credit for USDA value has been applied, transfers posted, and correct end products are being ordered. Contact your local Education Service Center for technical assistance in creating an account, monitoring inventory, and generating reports.

• SY25 Annual Physical Inventory Counts started in May and will continue through June for all State-Contracted Warehouses.
• Ensure all invoices are paid within 30 days of receiving your inventory/private storage fees and are up to date. Should you have any questions regarding your invoices, contact your State-Contracted Warehouse directly.
• As you are aware, the Weekly Commodity Bulletin is no longer available to schools in TX-UNPS. In previous years, TDA has utilized the following reports/resources to pull together the information presented within the Weekly Commodity Bulletin. Each school will need to review the following reports/resources to gather the necessary information:
1. Identify items received/used through the reports below:
*WBSCM Reports*
a. Requisition Status Report
b. Value of Commodities Received – details products that have been shipped to your warehouse or processor:
*State Contracted Warehouse reports
*DOD Usage Reports
*ProcessorLink or K12 usage Reports
2. Once you have items used/received items, you can use one of two tools on SquareMeals to determine the value of commodities received:
a. Cost Management Tool – used to help you determine the value of commodities received to ensure that your school receives the correct credit, rebates, or discounts.
b. USDA Process Material Prices – provides an average material price for all USDA Foods, even though it references Processor Materials.
3. Connect with your ESC should you need technical assistance and support regarding your USDA Foods.

TDA supports local decision-making of School Food Authorities, including the use of consultants for allowable services. Consultants are contractors who support food programs with some level of enhancement. They might help with increasing participation, recipe development, or meal quality. Consultants may also provide short-term training for new staff members or new initiatives. However, consultants cannot provide compliance training that is provided by TDA, the Education Service Center, or the Institute for Child Nutrition. To avoid duplicative costs, School Food Authorities planning to use federal child nutrition funds to contract with a consultant must do their due diligence to ensure the services they seek and contract for are not services that could have been provided at no cost from the Education Services Center or the Institute for Child Nutrition (see resources below).

Consultants do not manage the operations of child nutrition programs. If a School Food Authority seeks those services, it must procure them from a Food Service Management Company rather than a consultant.

Resources

• Guidance on Duplicative Costs Webinar - May 20, 2025
• Education Service Centers
• Institute of Child Nutrition

TDA has launched a web page to assist contract entities with avoiding duplicative costs. School Food Authorities planning to use federal child nutrition funds to contract with a consultant should check the page for guidance as they work to ensure the services they seek and contract for are not services that could have been provided at no cost from the Education Services Center or the Institute for Child Nutrition.

This training video provides an overview of how regional food banks strengthen their operations through partnerships with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the Texas Food Bank Network. Viewers will gain a foundational understanding of TEFAP in Texas, including the roles of TDA, Contracting Entities, food banks, and local pantries. The video also covers food distribution processes, program compliance requirements, and real-world best practices shared by Commissioner Sid Miller and leaders from Texas food banks.