Board approves consolidation of Nevada County school food programs into 'Community Roots' JPA

Board of Trustees President Andrew Klein presided over a unanimous vote Jan. 15 approving Resolution No. 14-2425 to consolidate the district’s National School Lunch Program (NSLP) food service authority into a countywide joint powers authority (JPA) branded Community Roots.

The vote followed a presentation by Sam (Executive Director, Community Roots food services JPA) outlining the history, budget projection and implementation timeline for centralizing production and procurement for nine Nevada County school districts. The board adopted the resolution with no recorded no votes; the roll call recorded trustees Johnson, Chilton, Clark, Pritchett, Willoughby and President Klein voting “aye.”

The district’s action transfers the district’s role as a separate School Food Authority (SFA) to Community Roots, which backers say will allow the partner districts to buy in larger volume, expand scratch-cooked meals, increase purchases from local producers and standardize menus countywide. Sam told the board the JPA was created in 2022 after a feasibility study and that he was hired in May 2024 to build the program and operations. He said Community Roots has identified the former Telestream building — about 27,000 square feet — as a potential production site and is negotiating tenant improvements that could cost about $3.5 million for equipment and kitchen construction.

Sam said the JPA’s preliminary first-year budget projects operating revenues above expenses under conservative participation assumptions, and that financing for the facility build — if approved by the JPA members — could be obtained at roughly a 3% interest rate in current projections. He said the plan is to keep first‑year production at existing school kitchens while phasing in centralized procurement and menu improvements, and to post JPA jobs in March with a target operational switch on July 1.

Public commenters and local stakeholders spoke in favor of the consolidation during the community-comment period. Francis DeChristina, a Grass Valley parent and member of Sierra Harvest’s farm-to-school team, said the consolidated SFA would help expand access to higher‑quality meals to k–12 students across the county and cited prior examples in the area where scratch cooking improved participation and financial stability. Registered dietitian and parent Shauna Schultz told trustees she supports the move and called scratch-cooked meals and salad bars "game-changers" for participation and student nutrition.

Trustees and staff acknowledged concerns about staff continuity and local control. Sam said he is negotiating with the classified employees’ union (CSEA/CSCA) and expects a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to protect existing staff positions, pay and benefits; he said the JPA will present MOU drafts to union leadership in late January with the goal of finalizing protections before formal staff notifications. Darlene Weddell, business official for the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools (NCSOS), said NCSOS and the superintendents support the JPA and that the county office has been covering start‑up costs so far; she said written agreements on operational support are in preparation.

Board members asked for details in writing about fund transfers and the treatment of existing food-service fund balances (Fund 13) that various districts hold. Sam and NCSOS staff said those decisions will be negotiated among the nine JPA member districts and the JPA board; Sam said the JPA has not yet finalized a written plan for handling individual district fund balances and that the JPA board must approve a final approach.

Action and next steps: The board approved Resolution No. 14-2425 to close the district’s separate SFA and consolidate school nutrition operations under Community Roots. Trustees also directed staff to continue negotiating MOUs and implementation details, and to return with written agreements covering staff protections, the disposition of existing food-service fund balances and any facilities‑use arrangements. Sam said job postings for the JPA would be released in March and that operational changes would aim to begin July 1.

Why it matters: Supporters say centralization will raise meal quality, increase participation and keep more food dollars in the local economy by expanding purchases from county producers. Opponents and some trustees pressed for written agreements and phased financial commitments to protect staff jobs and district fund balances.

Ending: Community Roots backers called the countywide consolidation an innovative regional model; trustees approved the consolidation and asked staff to bring the detailed MOUs and funding terms back to the board before implementation.