Oregon expands support for Farm to School and School Garden Programs, again

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kasa...@upstreampublichealth.org

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Jul 9, 2015, 5:35:19 PM7/9/15
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Hey, all -- I wanted to share the good news that the Oregon Legislature just (Monday) approved another major expansion in our state's Farm to School and School Garden program.  For the 2015-17 biennium, just over $4.5 million dollars were allocated for these programs, in addition to our full-time staff positions in the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Department of Agriculture.  

Of the $4.5M (an increase of $3.3M over the prior biennium, which itself was a $1M increase over the prior...), the funds will be allocated as follows:
  • $90K (2%) to Oregon Department of Education for program management
  • approximately $3.5 M (80%, after the admin cut) to Oregon school districts, to buy and serve local food
  • $885,000 (20%, after the admin cut) to school districts, non-profit partners, and/or commodity commissions, to do "food-based, agriculture-based and garden-based education."  
In the past, all the funding was distributed through competitive grants to school districts. 

This year, the legislation (which advocates developed and pushed for) made some big changes:  food funds will now be distributed to *all* school districts, proportionally based on recent participation in the national school lunch program.  (We're a small state; so that $3.5 million will mean approximately 4 cents extra per lunch.)   And the "education" funds will still be distributed based on competitive grants, but now non-profit partners and/or commodity commissions can apply for those funds, as well as school districts that feel qualified to manage the programs themselves.  (In the past grant cycles, many districts just hired out for help.)   

I share this, not to brag... but to suggest to activists in other places that "farm to school and school garden" funding, at a statewide level, can work this way, and have a really big impact on school gardens.  

For more information about our legislation, see  the press release:  

And/or see our website about Oregon's Farm to School and School Garden program and incremental accomplishments:

Let me know if you have any questions!

Kasandra Griffin
Upstream Public Health

John Fisher

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Jul 10, 2015, 9:55:30 AM7/10/15
to school-gar...@googlegroups.com, kasa...@upstreampublichealth.org
Hi Kasandra,

This is great news and such a great example of institutionalizing funding for farm to school and school gardens! Great to see the education funds have been expanded to allow school garden support organizations and district programs to apply!

In 2009, the last biggest piece of legislation that supported CA School Gardens (AB1535) funded some district level programs and since then one of those programs (The Living Classroom) has turned in to a non-profit that now runs garden programs in three districts. Good things can happen with just a "seed" of funds.

I hope that we can once again get some CA legislative support to fund school gardens in CA. Thanks OR for plowing the way and providing inspiration for others!

Onward,
JOHN
--
John Fisher - Director of Programs and Partnerships
Life Lab  •  1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95064  •  831.471.7831  -  831.459.3483 (fax)

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


The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids: 101 Ways to Get Kids Outside, Dirty, and Having Fun
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