Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 9, September 1, 2024
(1) The Oregon
Department of Education shall establish a request for proposal solicitation and
approval process to be conducted each biennium for which competitive Oregon
Farm to School Program education grant funds are available.
(2) The department shall notify eligible
entities of the proposal process and the dates when proposals are due, and make
available necessary guidelines and application forms.
(3)
(a)
Eligible entities must submit their grant proposals on the most current form
prescribed by the department. The department shall publish the current request
for proposals solicitation forms on the department's website.
(b) If an eligible entity that has applied
for a competitive Oregon Farm to School Program education grant is unable to
provide the information required in the request for proposals, then the grant
applicant must provide an explanation why the information cannot be provided.
Grant applicants may submit additional information that will aid the department
in evaluating their grant proposals.
(4) To be considered by the department, the
grant proposals submitted by eligible entities must include the following
information:
(a) The name of the school
district in which the educational activities will be offered;
(b) The name of the person who will serve as
the grant applicant's primary contact regarding the grant proposal and that
person's contact information, including the primary contact's email address and
telephone number;
(c) The name of
the organizations which the grant applicant either has partnered, or is
intending to partner, with for the purpose of providing food-based,
agriculture-based, or garden-based educational activities for the benefit of
children enrolled in a public school or public charter school within a school
district, or a center-based program for children;
(d) The name and contact information of the
persons who will serve as the partner organizations' primary contacts regarding
the grant proposal and the educational activities the grant applicant and its
partner organizations intend to provide;
(e) A description of the educational
activities the grant applicant proposes to offer;
(f) An explanation of how the educational
activities the grant applicant proposes to offer with grant funds will address
the grant criteria and benefit children enrolled in a public school or a public
charter school within a school district, or a center-based program for
children;
(g) An estimate of the
costs associated with providing the proposed educational activities;
and
(h) An analysis of the proposed
educational activities and the proposed means of delivering those programs
using the Equity Lens adopted under OAR 581-017-0010.
(5) Grant applicants' proposals will be
reviewed for completeness and how well they address the evaluation criteria
adopted by the department. The Oregon Department of Education shall give
preference to eligible entities that propose educational activities that:
(a) Are well designed;
(b) Promote healthy food
activities;
(c) Have clear
educational objectives;
(d) Involve
parents or the community;
(e) Are
connected to a school district's farm-to-school procurement activities;
and
(f) Are culturally relevant to
the students being served by the grant moneys.
(6) Additional information may be required
and additional criteria may be identified in the applicable request for
proposal and guidelines published by the department.
(7) Recipients of a competitive Oregon Farm
to School Program education grant will:
(a)
Represent a variety of school sizes and geographic locations; and
(b) Serve a high percentage of children who
qualify for free or reduced price school meals under the federal National
School Lunch Program.
(8)
The Department of Education will apply the Oregon Equity Lens when
administering this grant including when determining resource allocation and
making strategic investments.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS
326.051, HB 2579 (2019) &
ORS 336.431
Statutes/Other Implemented: HB 2579 (2019) & ORS
336.431
