School district financial support for school gardens

[Laura Plaut]

Hi All - in looking through the budgeting and funding section (and recognizing that google groups are not my forte, so I may be missing something ), I'm wondering if anyone can provide me with any happy updates of school or school districts taking financial responsibility (partially or whole-ly) for funding garden educator positions.    Thanks for sharing!

[Ullery, Sam (OSSE)]

Hi Laura, This is the million dollar question. Slow Food National’s Andrew Nowak has tackled this question and is working on a comprehensive list of school garden programs that have found funding to pay school garden leaders at schools.  I don’t think this information is available yet, but the work is being done. 

 

Sam Ullery

School Garden Specialist
P: (202) 741-6485 C: (202) 341 0791

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[Terry D'Selkie]

Hi Laura,

Ukiah Unified School District in Mendocino County has put the garden program into the LCAP and funded it last year.  They are reviewing the program this year and we are expecting them to fund us again for 3-5 years.  They fund 4 garden specialists who manage and teach at 8 gardens and 1 teacher coordinator of the program.  If you want more information, I would be happy to share.

Terry d'Selkie

[Bonnie Lohman]

I am a full-time garden coordinator for the Columbia Heights Public School District in Columbia Heights, MN. The district funds my position - full-time, benefits, 11 months/year. We are a relatively small district (3,000 students in 5 schools) and have one large school garden that is used by the entire district and 1 small garden at one of the elementary schools. My salary is paid 75% from the general fund (same fund that pays teachers) and 25% from community education. This reflects the fact that about 75% of my time is spent working with classes during the school year and 25% is spent working with kids involved in community ed programs during the summer. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

Cheers,

Bonnie Lohman 

On Monday, February 1, 2016, Laura Plaut <la...@commonthreadsfarm.org> wrote:

Hi All - in looking through the budgeting and funding section (and recognizing that google groups are not my forte, so I may be missing something ), I'm wondering if anyone can provide me with any happy updates of school or school districts taking financial responsibility (partially or whole-ly) for funding garden educator positions.    Thanks for sharing!

[John Fisher]

Hi Laura,

I have seen models where outside organizations charge schools a nominal fee for school garden support services but often fundraise to cover the bulk of the costs.. From my perspective the fully integrated staff position within the district is a bit less common but becoming more so.

Washington DC and Berkeley have passed sweetened beverage taxes to fund district level work.

Santa Cruz City Schools includes elementary garden coordinators salaries as part of a larger property parcel tax for education.

LCAP as Terrie mentioned has funded school garden district work at some of our school districts in CA. 

The LCAP is a critical part of the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Each school district must engage parents, educators, employees and the community to establish these plans.

I have also seen school food service use their funds to house program staff for school garden work. The USDA has two documents that outline how School Food Service Funds can be used for nutrition education. Find copies of those documents here http://www.lifelab.org/for-educators/schoolgardens/garden-to-cafeteria/

Other resources that might be of interest to you.

• Innovative Ways to Fund Your School Garden Webinar, which I presented with teacher and district garden leader Kevin Hesser, has a case study shared by Kevin on directing LCAP funds to garden education
  
• This webinar on Regional Support Models that I presented with Oakland USD Garden Education Staff Park Gutherie (paid through OUSD Food Services) shares various models of how district level garden models operate (and are funded)
  
• Here is an article written by Life Lab's Education Director Whitney Cohen on funding garden coordinators which covers some of what I mentioned above and more. 

I love this topic and it shows that if there is a will there is a way to institutionalize school gardens. It may not be easy but it is happening!

-- JOHN

Life Lab cultivates children's love of learning, healthy food, and nature through garden-based education.

John Fisher - Director of Programs and Partnerships
Life Lab  •  1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064  •  831.471.7831

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On Monday, February 1, 2016 at 3:51:32 PM UTC-8, Laura Plaut wrote:

[Kyla Van Deusen]

Another exciting development in Atlanta Public Schools: Sodexo, their food contractor, has hired a full time Farm to School Coordinator to support various farm to school initiatives in the district

[John Fisher]

Kyla, That is great news! FoodService is where I envision school gardens finding an institutionalized home within a school district. FoodService is a business operation and has the permission of the USDA to use funds for nutrition ed activities (such as edible gardens).

There is no real home for school gardens in schools, but FoodService is well situated to be a home.

Ventura USD, Oakland USD, and San Diego USD are just a few districts where strong farm to school programming supports school gardening in CA.

When districts are bidding on contractors to run their food services there are great opportunities to request farm to school. school gardens, nutrition education to be part of the contract. 

Whitsons Culinary group is an example of Food Service Management that supports school garden development .

-- JOHN

Life Lab cultivates children's love of learning, healthy food, and nature through garden-based education.

John Fisher - Director of Programs and Partnerships
Life Lab  •  1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064  •  831.471.7831

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[jen...@sblearninggarden.org]

So glad to see this topic come up!  I know of a couple of programs here in Missouri that have figured out fairly creative ways for school districts to provide financial support... 1 district contracts with the school garden program & local university to provide several paid garden educator internships; another pays for a substantial portion of their garden program through their facilities budget (which provides more flexibility than the certified staff budget).  I agree that Food Service (& Farm to School) will likely provide good opportunities for funding for many districts too.  Here at the Southern Boone Learning Garden in central Missouri, we're preparing to host community focus group meetings this month to address this very topic: how can we partner with our district & community to provide long-term sustainability for our program (& not be totally grant-dependent ;-)?  Thanks everybody!

[John Fisher]

Hi,

Here is more information on the Parcel Tax Measure P that the city of Santa Cruz has passed that funds science education (AKA our city schools Life Lab Garden Coordinators). This is the second 8 year cycle that we have passed and if funds 20 hour a week garden coordinators in our four city elementary district schools. This also funds much more than just garden education. See a summary of these measures have funded in the text belowl

https://ballotpedia.org/Santa_Cruz_City_Elementary_School_District_Parcel_Tax,_Measure_P_(November_2015)

http://www.santacruzpl.org/media/pdf/ballot_measures/20151117_P.pdf

Santa Cruz City Elementary School District Small Class Size and Academic Achievement Act To protect the quality of education in local elementary schools, attract and retain highly qualified teachers, continue science programs, arts and music instruction, maintain smaller class sizes, provide library services and prevent existing school funding from expiring, the shall Santa Cruz City Elementary School District shall renew its $105 parcel tax for a period of 8 years without raising the tax rate, including an exemption for senior citizens, independent citizen oversight, and all funds staying local to benefit Santa Cruz elementary schools. Accordingly, moneys raised under this Measure shall be authorized to be used for the following purposes in accordance with priorities established by the Board and to the extent of available funds:

(a) Protecting small class sizes; 

(b) Funding elementary school science instruction; 

(c) Supporting early literacy instruction programs for elementary students and pre-kindergarten programs; 

(d) Retaining credentialed librarians, library assistants, teachers and other employees; and 

(e) Providing arts education, teachers and supplies, including music, performing and visual arts. No parcel tax funds will be spent on administrative salaries. 

-- JOHN

Life Lab cultivates children's love of learning, healthy food, and nature through garden-based education.

John Fisher - Director of Programs and Partnerships
Life Lab  •  1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064  •  831.471.7831

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