Farm staff and residents press board to keep Bowers Farm production and education under district control

Two speakers during public comment urged Bloomfield Hills Schools to preserve Bowers Farm's education mission and vegetable production under district control, and asked the board to clarify recent staffing decisions. Patricia Watson, who said she has worked at Bowers School Farm for three years as a farm guide and in fruit and vegetable production, told the board that leadership changes and vacant positions have left the farm 'unwell' and 'unorganized.' Watson said she had taken on additional responsibilities after a production coordinator left and expressed concern about preliminary talks with Oakland County Parks that might change who controls educational programming at the farm. She asked the board to keep both education and crop production in district hands and suggested the district explore full use of the 10-cent-per-meal reimbursement program to support production. Resident Andrew Peterson asked the board for clarification about an earlier statement that two vacant positions at the farm had not been backfilled, and whether that was a hiring freeze, a budget decision, or a deliberate staffing choice tied to conversations about the farm's future. He requested a clear answer to that operational question. Board members and staff acknowledged the comments and indicated the items would be discussed in follow-up meetings; the public comment period concluded with a request from speakers for further dialogue with administration.