Understanding the Levels of Authority for School Food Systems

The national school food system is a complex hierarchy, with responsibilities stretching from the local campus to the U.S. Congress. Here is a partial list of typical food system responsibilities.

Federal Government

• Sets reimbursement and income level requirements for national breakfast and lunch programs
• Determines minimal nutrition requirements for federally supported meals
• Creates policies for commodity foods offered to schools

State Government

• May supplement federal reimbursements
• Sets regulations for foods served in schools not participating in federal programs
• Administers food stamp nutrition education fund programs in schools
• Creates academic state-level standards and testing procedures

School Board

• Approves district operating budget
• Sets priorities for superintendent
• Approves federally mandated wellness policies for local districts
• Proposes tax measures for approval by voters

District Superintendent/Administration

• Establishes expectations and priorities for food service, guided by federal requirements (break even, maintain surplus, and so on)
• Recommends budget, may propose allocating additional funds to supplement food service income
• Determines where savings achieved by food service, such as reduced trash-hauling fees, will be applied, guided by federal requirements
• Oversees design, construction, and maintenance of kitchen facilities and resources
• Secures additional resources, such as funding to staff garden and kitchen classes

Food Service Director

• Creates and manages food service budget, determining how funds will be allocated among food purchases, personnel, equipment, and so on
• Sets menus and documents adherence to required nutritional standards
• Procures and oversees preparation of food; locates and negotiates with farmers, distributors, and vendors
• Determines food service staff roles; oversees staff training
• “Markets” food service to students and families

Principal

• Sets the tone for campus regarding openness to change and spirit of cooperation
• Determines the level of support and encouragement for faculty and staff experimentation and innovation at the school site
• With teachers, creates class schedule (e.g., amount of time for lunch, order of lunch and recess)

Teachers and Staff (sometimes constrained by union contracts)

• Choose whether and how to incorporate food and nutrition into classroom lessons
• Determine how food may be used outside of meals (for instance for treats and celebrations, or as reward and punishment), within local and state requirements
• Can model attitudes toward school food
• Usually maintain the most direct communication with parents

This chart is adapted from Michael K. Stone, Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability (Watershed Media/University of California Press, 2009).