Severe Need provides additional reimbursement for each breakfast served to free or reduced eligible students attending those schools that served at least 40% of lunches at the free or reduced rate during the second preceding year if the school is approved by the state agency.
The school year (SY) 2020-2021 severe need breakfast reimbursement rates will be announced after July 1, 2020.
For informational purposes, the reimbursement rate for the 2019-2020 (SY) is an additional $0.36 for each free or reduced price breakfast served.
REQUIREMENTS:
To qualify for the severe need breakfast reimbursement EACH SCHOOL (not school district) must meet the following criteria:
- The school is currently participating in or desires to begin a breakfast program.
- Forty percent (40%) or more of the lunches served to students in the school in the SECOND PRECEDING year (2018-2019) were served free or at a reduced price.
Each district that DOES want to apply to receive the additional severe need breakfast reimbursement for any school MUST COMPLETE the Severe Need Application Form, listing ALL SY 2020-2021 SCHOOLS regardless of whether a school may be eligible. If the district chooses not to participate see option below.
DISTRICT DECISION TO OPT OUT: Each district that chooses to OPT OUT, MUST COMPLETE the attached District Decision to Opt-out Form. This is only if the district is NOT going to apply for individual schools to receive the additional severe need breakfast reimbursement.
DEADLINE for submission of the District Decision to Opt Out Form is FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020.
SEVERE NEED APPLICATION PROCESS and DEADLINE: The application for severe need funding requires that the Child Nutrition Unit (CNU) must receive an accurate, complete and signed (with authorized signature) Severe Need Application Form before close of business on Friday, January 10, 2020.
Signed applications can be scanned and emailed to: ADE.Severeneed@arkansas.gov
If the District does not have the ability to scan the document, the application can be faxed to 501-324-9505, Attn: Ryan Jones. The application may also be mailed to the CNU office:
Ryan Jones, Accountant
Arkansas Department of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Child Nutrition Unit
2020 West 3rd Street, Suite 404
Little Rock, AR 72205
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Instructions for completing the Severe Need Application are attached. Please review the instructions prior to submitting the forms to CNU. See the note in the Instructions for column 7 for help determining participation numbers. The gray boxes on the form will auto-calculate the data entered into the computer. Print, sign and return the application as instructed above.
COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY SCHOOLS: Severe need eligibility is based on site-level data. If the school operated under Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) during SY 2018-2019, the individual school’s Identified Student Percentage (ISP) must be used to determine eligibility for severe need reimbursement. Therefore, the individual school’s ISP from SY 2018-2019 multiplied by 1.6 must be at least 40 percent to qualify for severe need reimbursement.
Schools participating in CEP as part of a group may not use the group free claiming percentage.
** For additional information see the “Community Eligibility Provision: Planning and Implementation Guidance” page 45, located under Guidance on the Child Nutrition Unit website. **
PROVISION 2 SCHOOLS: Severe Need eligibility is based on site-level data. If the school operated under Provision 2 during SY 2018-2019, the lunch meals served at that school, and at the free and reduced rate, must be 40% in order for the school to be eligible.
PAPERWORK REDUCTION AND MAINTENANCE: EVERY district must submit either the Severe Need Application Form to apply for additional funding OR the District Decision to Opt Out Form to decline additional funding.
Districts are reminded to maintain all documentation at the district level to justify student eligibility status, including meal benefit applications and categorically eligible lists (direct certification, homeless, runaway, migrant, etc.) for a period of 5 years after the last claim is filed based on those eligibility determinations.
DEADLINE REMINDER
- Completed and signed Severe Need Application must have an authorized signature, OR
- The District Decision to Opt Out Form must have an authorized signature
- Application/form can be scanned and emailed to: ade.severeneed@arkansas.gov, or
- Application/form can be faxed to 501-324-9505, Attn: Ryan Jones, or
- Application/form can be mailed to:
Ryan Jones, Accountant
Arkansas Department of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Child Nutrition Unit
2020 West 3rd Street, Suite 404
Little Rock, AR 72205
Applications or Opt Out Form must be received by the close of business on Friday, January 10, 2020.
ATTACHMENTS:
2020-2021 Severe Need Application & Instructions
2020-2021 Severe Need District Decision to Opt Out Form