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Germantown schools expand hydroponic lab; board approves $2,619.65 additional expense to complete GHS classroom garden
Summary
District staff reported the hydroponic lab at Germantown High School is producing lettuce, microgreens and other produce that will be distributed across district schools. The Finance Committee and full board approved an additional $2,619.65 for construction of Classroom A102 hydroponic garden, funded from the food and nutrition budget.
District food and nutrition staff told the Germantown School District Board that the high school hydroponic lab is in regular production and is now supplying lettuce and microgreens to schools across the district.
During the Food & Nutrition update, staff described a system of microflex stations, RO (reverse-osmosis) water filtration and multiple flex farms. "Each one of those units will produce 25 to 30 pounds of lettuce," the staff member said, and the district has a rotation schedule that allows harvest each Monday. The lab also produces microgreens (radish, broccoli, sunflower), fresh herbs (chives, basil, parsley, cilantro), cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and snacking peppers that the cafeteria staff are using in scratch-based meal preparation.
Board members and administrators praised the cross-department collaboration: science, environmental club and food/consumer science staff support seed germination and transplant processes; students are involved in growing and harvesting.
On the financial side, the Finance Committee brought forward a recommendation to approve an additional expense of $2,619.65 for the Classroom A102 hydroponic garden construction project at Germantown High School. The board approved the additional expense; packet materials say the cost will be funded from the food and nutrition budget.
Administration reported the lab yields multiple sizeable bins of lettuce on a weekly harvest cadence and that the district aims to distribute produce to all schools. Food service staff also described recent changes at Kennedy Middle School (serving-line improvements) and a plan to roll student ID card scanning to all elementary schools to speed meal service.
The board thanked staff and volunteers for the lab; several members sampled lettuce after the meeting.
