District highlights grant‑funded hydroponic gardens, says units are district property

Liliana Montenegro, a child‑nutrition presenter, told the Yucaipa‑Calimesa Joint Unified School District board the hydroponic gardening systems installed at elementary sites were grant‑funded and are now owned by the district. “Voila, here we are today growing the future one seed at a time,” Montenegro said, explaining the systems came through a Farm‑to‑School incubator grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and partner Fork Farms.

Montenegro said the systems have been incorporated into spring curricula districtwide and can produce lettuce on roughly a 30‑day cycle from planting to harvest. She described classroom uses—plant science, ecosystems, data collection and nutrition lessons—and said kitchen staff washed and returned harvested produce to school salad bars. “In the nine years that I’ve worked here, I’ve never seen them be so excited to eat lettuce than the lettuce that they grew,” she said.

STEAM teacher Kirsten Allen described student engagement, saying pupils checked machines regularly and helped harvest. Allen recounted that third‑ and fifth‑grade students removed roots and participated in post‑harvest kitchen use and noted the experience motivated at least one student to manage plant checks as part of a daily routine.

Montenegro credited district staff—from child nutrition and warehouse leads to the maintenance department—for implementing the program and noted recurring costs are primarily consumables. In response to a board question about ownership, she stated the units “are 100%” owned by the district and confirmed ongoing costs are limited to seed and consumables.

The board received the presentation during the public portion of the meeting; no formal action was required on the hydroponic program report. The district said it will continue integrating the systems into elementary curricula and supporting harvest distribution through nutrition services.