3. MARCO TEÓRICO
3.3 El proceso lector
Although not stated as part of the original request for proposals that led to this project, one of the needs of SNS identified by both stakeholders and the review team in the course of project completion was the need for a long-term SNS vision. While a number of improvements have been implemented in recent years within SNS, including the introduction of a POS and menu improvements, these have been achieved without a specific overarching vision and fully developed plan. Granted, other pressing priorities such as the CRE sanctions, non-compliance concerns, the general negative fiscal condition of the SNS operation, and continued unfunded mandates has reduced the time available to establish an SNS vision.
According to the National School Board Association, “One of the most important responsibilities of any leader is establishing a vision and inviting others to share in its development.”23 Providing visionary leadership for SNS supported by the Superintendent, Board of Education, and
stakeholders is key to continued improvement in SNS.
The SFUSD Board of Education adopted in May 2008 the school district’s strategic plan entitled, Beyond the Talk: Taking Action to Educate Every Child Now. Beyond the Talk 2.0
Strategic Implementation Plan became the district’s commitment for 2010-11. As part of the
process, SNS created three goals:
1. provide safe, nutritionally balanced meals to qualifying students at no cost, and for non- qualifying students, at low cost;
2. children of color face disproportionately higher rates of poverty, food insecurity, and lower academic achievement. Thus, our goals include ensuring all eligible students not only enroll but also participate in the program; and
3. provide a welcoming environment for students to gather and eat meals together.
While SNS managers completed this exercise, the stated goals have not so far been translated into a long-term vision or action.
During the April 2011 on-site, when asked to describe the future of SNS Department five years from now, SNS leadership provided six ideas:
It would be a more locally produced and sustained meal program.
A coalition of top San Francisco chefs would develop some of the meals served
The program would move away from the current reliance on a “big processor.” It
would be a uniquely San Francisco model and would not follow any of the other existing models.
There would not be a great number of meal choices each day.
The program would provide education along with nutrition.
There would not likely be salad bars.
While these ideas may provide components of a long-term vision, they have not thus far been gathered into a long-term vision for the future that has been effectively communicated to stakeholders. There is currently no overriding goal, what Collins termed a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal,” to propel the organization forward.24
During one of the several focus group discussions Prismatic held with the community, the participants shared their insight into ideas for their vision for SNS. Their ideas are reflected in
Exhibit 5-32.
24 Collins, J.C., & Porras, J. I. Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies, New York: Harper
Exhibit 5-32
SNS Community Visioning Focus Group: Discussion Points
make use of corporate campuses being built within the community to partner for possible joint ventures related to student nutrition and serving meals;
whatever vision is developed it cannot be a cookie cutter approach to the problem;
freshly prepared food, significantly higher student participation in breakfast and lunch programs; eliminate the labor issue;
eliminate stigma of children not wanting to eat the prepackaged, unattractive, poor quality food and go back to using trays;
quality and equity for all is important;
put kitchens and cafeterias back in shape so children want to eat in the cafeteria; focus on supporting the local economy;
families want a healthy nutritional meal for their children;
emphasize from gardens to education to cooking—if they grow it they will try it; get students more involved in promoting healthy food;
expand on the successes of programs such as the example of culinary geography class at Washington High School;
use school kitchens with small business community (might pay to upgrade equipment and pay respectable rent, share space, and develop partnerships);
more chefs per square foot in city than most California cities and we are not taking advantage of it; develop internships for children;
look into Revolution Food as a possible vendor; cost may be higher but if it improves participation it may be cost justified;
include mandatory recess as part of any change;
if not enough time to eat food it sends a message food is not important; it would be ideal to have teacher and students eat together to develop a bond; get creative ideas from around the country;
consider and implement catering services to help generate funds;
need a funding stream for sustainable support of SNS given Federal reimbursement rate does not consider cost of living differences;
create a vegetarian alternative; and
would support closed campus and multiple lunch periods if it would improve participation and the quality of food for students.
In the course of this project, some stakeholders have attempted to place responsibility for developing the SNS vision on Prismatic. Developing the SNS vision was beyond the scope of the project; moreover, vision development must come from within, not without. Vision cannot be imposed; it must be a natural outgrowth of the organization. Organizational leadership and the SFUSD Board of Education are key to providing the foundation for a successful SNS vision. There are numerous visionary documents available from other school districts as starting points, such as the “Food Services Branch: Strategic Plan 2008-2013” of Los Angeles Unified School District. Another source would be the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) guide to educational facility planning.25
While a long-term vision should be vetted by local leaders, Prismatic did gather a large quantity of input from various stakeholders regarding what the SNS vision should be. Compiling the various viewpoints, Prismatic suggests this vision statement as a starting point:
SNS meals will consistently be the first choice of SFUSD students. SNS meals will be healthy, fresh, nutritious, and largely locally produced. SFUSD cafeterias will be vibrant, inviting, and educational places within each school. Student meal participation will consistently exceed national benchmarks. The SNS program will be a respected member of SFUSD and the San Francisco community, and will serve as an example to other school food service programs nationally.
In addition to the current lack of vision (as of the on-site review), SNS does not have a business plan that outlines the direction and expectations for an effective and efficient food service operation. In on-site observations, interviews, focus group discussions, and reviews of district documents, reports, and websites it was clear that SNS tends to operate in a crisis mode, reacting to situations rather than being proactive. Although compliance priorities and reduced staffing contribute to the situation, they only represent symptoms of a larger issue.
A departmental business plan should include a number of pieces:
an outline or framework that would identifies the goal;
implementation strategies;
products and services provided by SNS;
review and discussion of the marketing aspects of SNS;
competition analysis and discussion; required resources;
training requirements;
consideration for organizational change and needed communication;
required technical skills;
the budget proposed; and
the deliverables/milestones.
An example of a professional format for the development of a formal school district business plan can be found within the Los Angeles Unified School District Food Service Division operation. Key to achieving an organizational vision and business plan milestones is effective
communication. However, stakeholders feel that effective communication from and with SNS is unusual. The shared perception, based on interviews and focus groups, is that it is difficult to get straight answers and useful reports from SNS. Opportunities for improved communication are myriad. Quality reference material related to communication effectiveness can be found at the Online Integrated Library for Personal, Professional, and Organizational Development.26
Finally, the SNS business and communications plans must be grounded in the district’s adopted policies and procedures. Policies are important guidelines created by a Board of Education to establish the direction of every aspect of the operation of the school system. Board approved and documented policies establish a legal record and carry the force of law. Approved Board of Education policies not only establish guidelines for decision-making but also foster stability and continuity while providing for reasonable, fair, and consistent treatment of issues.
The board policy on wellness is a key policy affecting the expectations and operation of SNS. This policy should be one of the key policies governing SNS, but, at the time of the on-site review, that was not the case. Prismatic’s review of the 2007 version of the wellness policy raised numerous questions of compliance:
Item 3c notes that SNS will minimize processed foods, while most of the meals served today come processed and prepackaged by the current vendor.
Item 3d notes that the SAC and students will be more involved in the selection of new food choices in meals served, but that is not a common situation.
Item 5c indicates the district would explore the feasibility of putting all district vending machines under one vendor and that as contracts expire, renewals should only be on a month-to-month contract. Efforts to enforce this and to deal with the resistance from school sites have no champion to enforce it.
Item 11 indicates the Office of Research, Planning, and Accountability will design and implement an evaluation model to monitor the implementation of the recommendations. This was apparently unsuccessful. Item 11 also indicated that site administrators would fill out a biannual survey devised by the Office of Research, Planning, and Accountability, reflecting implementation of the policy. Requests for copies of the survey and the feedback results were unsuccessful.
As part of finalizing the SNS business plan, department and district leaders must evaluate all current, relevant SFUSD policies to ensure adherence. SNS leaders will also likely want to make recommendations for appropriate revisions and updates.
Simply put, failing to establish an organization vision is to accept any directional change. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Prismatic believes that department and district leaders, as well as community stakeholders, would embrace the vision proposed here and that the
recommendations of this report should become the base for the department’s business plan. Exhibit 5-33 provides a five-year summary of the recommendations contained in this report.
Exhibit 5-33
Recommended Five-Year Plan for SNS
District Action Areas
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Estimated (Costs) or Savings
# Recommendation
3-1
Continue to focus on
collaborative efforts to reduce the negative impact of the meal charge practice and its related issues.
Some district and SNS staff time.
Should result in less lost revenue.
3-2
Assist SNS in communicating to the public regarding the F&R process and in improving effectiveness of the process.
Some district and SNS staff time.
Should result in less lost revenue.
3-3 Provide recess before lunch as
all SFUSD elementary schools. Planning period
Negligible, although will require adjusting of school staff schedules. Should result in improved student meal consumption.
3-4 Improve meal period
scheduling. Planning period
Negligible, although will require adjusting school schedules. Should result in significant increases in student meal participation.
3-5
Assist SNS in adopting a new central office structure and in staffing for effective
operations.
Approximately ($957,675) in additional salaries and benefits per year.
3-6
Enforce the established meal cash collection process and require all schools to collect meal funds in the cafeteria.
Some district and SNS staff time.
Should result in less lost revenue.
3-7
Implement a telephone messaging process through AutoDialer to communicate key items to parents.
Some district and SNS staff time.
Exhibit 5-33 (continued) Recommended Five-Year Plan for SNS
District Action Areas
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Estimated (Costs) or Savings
# Recommendation
3-8
Analyze revenue and expenditures trends and provide formal explanations why expenses are increasing at a significantly higher rate than revenues.
Reanalyze if
necessary
Some district and SNS staff time. Should provide indications of where better efficiencies can be achieved.
3-9
Develop a methodology and process to allocate utility and other operating costs to the Food Service Fund each year.
Some district and SNS staff time (mostly district staff). Should establish a benchmark for eventually achieving a more cost- neutral food service operation.
3-10 Complete a comprehensive
audit of the SNS accounts.
Some district and SNS staff time (mostly district staff). Should provide assurances of effective management of food service funds.
3-11
Review all contract provisions and ensure all services provided by SNS food services contractor are in compliance with contract provisions.
Some district and SNS staff time (mostly district staff). Should provide assurances of effective management of food service contract.
3-12
Develop a monthly process to reconcile meals available at the cafeteria with meals invoiced by the food services contractor and require the food services contractor to assist with automated reports that would facilitate the reconciliation.
Initially district staff time for process development, then SNS staff time for process
maintenance. Should provide assurances of accurate contractor billing.
Exhibit 5-33 (continued) Recommended Five-Year Plan for SNS
District Action Areas
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Estimated (Costs) or Savings
# Recommendation
3-13
Analyze the impact on elementary school meals for delivery service costs.
Some district staff time. Should result in either lower
delivery/elementary meal charges or assurances that current price combination is lowest possible. 3-14
Improve the appearance of SFUSD cafeterias with low-cost options.
Some SNS staff time to determine desired signage. Funding should be sought from outside sources.
3-15
Formulate and include in the next update of the SFUSD Capital Plan a dedicated capital improvements program for student nutrition facilities at all SFUSD schools.
Planning period
Some district and SNS staff time. Prismatic estimates that bond funding for approximately ($165.5 million) over 10 years will be needed.
3-16
Conduct a Facilities Condition Assessment of all student nutrition facilities in the district.
Approximately ($400,000) over
two years.
3-17
Prepare educational specifications and design guidelines for SNS facilities.
Approximately ($200,000) over
two years.
3-18
Develop a comprehensive list of all installed and portable kitchen equipment at each location.
Mainly district staff time.
3-19 Implement a simple straightforward preventive maintenance plan. Planning period Preventive maintenance software would cost
approximately ($20,000) the first year and ($13,000) in annual fees each year.
Exhibit 5-33 (continued) Recommended Five-Year Plan for SNS
SNS Action Areas
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Estimated (Costs) or Savings
# Recommendation
4-1
Foster a collegial relationship between SNS and school principals.
Some SNS manager time. Should result in increased school support for the SNS efforts.
4-2
Refine management reports and establish a list of standard comprehensive reports for distribution to management staff including employees in charge at cafeterias to use in managing each cafeteria and the program as a whole.
Some SNS staff time. Should result in better management data.
4-3
Revise the meal charge collection procedure to reduce the burden on school
principals.
Some SNS staff time. Should result in better management of meal charge collections.
4-4
Eliminate the two tier lunch system totally by merging a la carte sales with the main line to ensure that all students are presented with equal food options when they enter the cafeteria, no matter what their meal status.
Depends on the upgrades necessary at each facility so that the two serving lines can serve identical products. This will vary from school to school.
4-5
Review the purpose of edit checks and menu production records.
Some SNS staff time. Should
Exhibit 5-33 (continued) Recommended Five-Year Plan for SNS
SNS Action Areas
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Estimated (Costs) or Savings
# Recommendation
4-6
Establish a formal documented comprehensive training plan that incorporates new
employee orientation as well as ongoing professional
development for school and district staff.
Planning
period
Some SNS staff time. If external trainers are used, there will be some cost. Expanding Qube would cost approximately
($6,500) per year.
4-7
Develop a standard meeting format with an enhanced scope for all weekly planning and review sessions and conducted with various areas of SNS staff.
Some SNS staff time. Should
result in better management.
4-8
Eliminate the use of manual production sheets at the elementary level and
standardize the process for use of POS functionality.
Planning
period
Some SNS staff time and possibly some additional cost for
software expansion. Should result in better management.
4-9
Purchase the time clock module for use on the POS electronic system and require all lunchroom employees use it to clock in and out.
Some SNS staff time, plus
($50,800) for initial software and
($7,800) in annual costs. Should result in better management. May result in overtime payments.
4-10
Design and implement a system of evaluation and accountability to increase productivity, boost morale, and garner employee commitment to SNS goals and mission.
Some SNS staff time. Should
Exhibit 5-33 (continued) Recommended Five-Year Plan for SNS
SNS Action Areas
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Estimated (Costs) or Savings
# Recommendation
4-11
Continue to focus on reducing or eliminating barriers and unproductive processes related to the F&R Meal Application process.
Some SNS staff time. Should result increased reimbursement revenues.
4-12
Develop a process to match invoices to signed delivery tickets by an SNS employee prior to making payments to the food services contractor.
Some SNS staff time. Should result in better contractor oversight.
4-13
Develop procedures to
formally reconcile commodities provided to the food services contractor to credits issued on invoices and ensure
reconciliations are timely prepared and approval by management.
Some SNS staff time. Should result in better contractor oversight.
4-14
Require signed delivery tickets to be attached to paid invoices for the food services
contractor.
Some SNS staff time. Should result in better contractor oversight.
Exhibit 5-33 (continued) Recommended Five-Year Plan for SNS
SNS Action Areas
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Estimated (Costs) or Savings
# Recommendation
4-15
Ensure that a comprehensive file of all documents pertaining