Someone you should know: Jon Dickl, Director of School Nutrition, Knox County Schools,
Tennessee.
Tyson Foodservice: How long have you been with the
Knox County Schools?
Jon Dickl: I started about two weeks before classes began this year.
TFS: How big is the Knox County school district?
JD: We have over 59,000 students in our district at over 86 schools. I made
it my first priority to visit every school and meet the school foodservice team
members and administrators. I wanted to tell them first hand about my personal commitment
to feeding the county’s students the best meals possible. I’m fortunate that Knox
County is so financially sound, so I was able to devote time to getting to know
the entire team and focus on how and where to improve the already great program
we have here.
TFS: With a district that size, you must have a lot
on your plate already. What are some of the major things you’ve decided are priorities
for improvement and change?
JD: Knox County has been using commodities for some time but hasn’t really
taken a recent look at the advantages in terms of the time, labor savings, quality
and flavor of reprocessed commodities today. I’d like us to start evaluating some
of these reprocessed alternatives for our next planning cycle.
TFS: That can be a big change for any district. How
do you plan on making that kind of change?
JD: Having the students, parents and faculty feel they have a role in the
process is critical to driving acceptance. We started with a “food show” in the
district that featured commodity reprocessed menu items that students, faculty and
staff could sample. Forty-nine vendors participated in the food show, and we had
a great turnout with more than 400 students, employees and faculty members in attendance.
Everyone walked away impressed with the quality, flavor and the nutrition profile
of the products we were evaluating.
TFS: What else are you doing that’s different?
JD: We’re trying some new ways to reach out to the parents in our area. We
want them to know about the quality, flavor and the great nutrition we’re putting
on the school menu for their children. I’ve had great luck reaching out and working
with parents and turning the “doubters” about school programs into avid fans through
direct involvement and sampling new menu items with them.
TFS: Knox County is a good-sized district. Are there
any other programs you are working on now?
JD: We’re doing a great job addressing special dietary needs. Knox County
Schools is one of the largest, if not the largest, gluten free districts in the
entire country. We are adding more fresh fruit and vegetables as soon as we can
find the right sources. Another big step for our next planning cycle will be to
offer a better range of “better for you” choices, along with expanding our nutrition
education program for every grade level.
TFS: How is Tyson Foods helping with the changes?
JD: Tyson was a major participant in our recent food show. We’re seriously
looking at their reprocessed whole muscle products for our menu. Our attendees were
really impressed with the quality, flavor and texture of some of Tyson’s commodity-based
products. The Tyson brand name also lends a lot of credibility to our program. Tyson
is a brand that our parents immediately recognize as quality. Once they hear that
we are using Tyson products on the menu, there are no more questions about the quality
or the flavor of what we are feeding their children.
TFS: Any other new things you’re working on?
JD: We’re looking at ways to use the school’s website to reach parents and
students more effectively. We’re thinking about creating age-appropriate materials
that students and parents can use to get answers to questions about our menus and
access basic online nutrition education modules. We’re also interested in using
online resources to communicate with students, giving them a chance to voice their
opinions on some of the new items we’re trying on the menu.