Written by: Monika Spaulding
In an effort to learn more and stay on top of changing policies, Karen Libka recently completed the Indiana School Nutrition Association and Indiana Department of Education Director's Graduate Certificate Program. The program included 17 different classes in school nutrition that had to be completed.
Libka, who is the Salem Community Schools Food Service Director, said although the certification is not required, it is something the Indiana School Nutrition Association, in partnership with IDOE, put together to make sure school nutrition directors have the skills and knowledge they need to do the job.
“Part of the challenge of being a school food service director is it requires so many different skills and there really isn't (or hasn't been in the past) a college program out there to cover all the necessary skills and information,” said Libka.
She further explained that since school food service is a federal program under USDA they not only have to deal with all the health and sanitation codes like a restaurant, but also with all the state (IDOE) rules and USDA federal rules that are constantly changing.
“I joke that I worked for the Air Force for 10 years and while the military has plenty of rules and regulations, I'm not sure they hold a candle to USDA!” said Libka.
The certification program was designed to make sure directors are given tools to help with all the different aspects of their jobs, which is especially helpful in small school corporations like Salem..
“I feel it's especially helpful for smaller districts where the director plays more than one role,” she said. “In a big district they may have an RD that does nothing but menu development, then another person that does nothing but procurement, a chef that helps develop and teaches menu preparation, etc. But in smaller districts you are involved in almost all of it.”
Libka said that what most people don't realize is one of the goals of school food service is to be self funded, which is one area she takes a lot of pride in.
“Here at Salem, we don't receive any of the local tax dollars or other funds,” she said. “We pay for the food, supplies, staffing, equipment and training by selling or serving meals and ala carte items. We really are a non-profit business.”
Libka said if the department stays self-sufficient that means they aren't pulling from the school budget.
“Next year, I would love to build a bigger and better health and safety program for the kitchens,” she said. “I want to strengthen the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's). And I would love to see us start to build a digital nutrition program that everyone can access, including parents.”
She said that while both of those things are very time consuming and aren't super exciting and fancy, they are necessary to building a bigger and better program.
“There is so much government paperwork and reports, audits, reviews and inspections,”she said. “I'm hopeful this will help with some of those things.”
Attending the classes for her certification was also a great networking opportunity because school nutrition directors enjoy helping each other and sharing ideas, successes and even failures.
“We learn so much from each other,” said Libka. “After more than 24 years, I am still learning. And I hope that never stops. I don't want to become stagnant and I certainly don't want the program to become stagnant. I am blessed with a wonderful staff that envelopes all the training and education ideas I come up with. The more knowledge you have, the better you can do your job. And I work with great people, always willing to learn more. At the end of the day we are here to nourish our students and we want to do the best job we possibly can. Being trained and educated goes a long way in helping us do that.”