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Fullerton trustees celebrate students, and district details $525,000 innovation grant for tiny‑home and CTE work
Summary
Interim Superintendent Dr. Chad Hammond and staff highlighted teacher and classified employee awards and said Fullerton won a $525,000 Orange County Innovation Grant to support a tiny‑home project, CTE equipment and personnel; Jeremy Davis told the board grant funds cannot be used to buy the homes themselves and will support salaries, equipment and program sustainment.
Fullerton School District interim Superintendent Dr. Chad Hammond opened his report at the March 10 board meeting by recognizing teachers, classified employees and students across the district, then turned to a new county grant that district staff say will bolster career and technical education programs.
“Out of 29 applications, we were awarded $525,000 for the next three years to support our tiny home project,” Jeremy Davis, a district grant writer, told the board. He said the money will fund program staffing, mentorship and equipment — including a roughly $30,000 CNC machine — but cannot be used to purchase the tiny homes themselves, which will be financed through separate fundraising and community partners including the Fullerton Education Foundation.
The announcements preceded recognition of CTE students at Nicholas and Parks junior highs: Esther Kim, director of educational services, said 33 students earned industry certifications in the SpiderLab commercial-print and entrepreneurship course in its first semester. Principal Varela described students producing real products, learning software skills and preparing to run a self‑sustaining school business that could serve PTA and community customers.
Davis explained how the innovation grant will be allocated: equipment and instructional supports, partial salary for a CTE teacher in a construction academy, stipends for case managers who support students living in tiny homes, and other program supplies. “We actually can't even use any of that money for the home itself,” he said, adding that refurbishing, appliances and on‑site case management were explicitly budgeted in the grant application.
The board and staff framed the project as both student learning (7th–8th graders building homes) and a community service (temporary housing for families experiencing homelessness), and trustees urged continued fundraising and community partnership to cover the physical cost of homes. The district will continue to report back to the board as fundraising and construction plans evolve.
The meeting also included a ceremonial certificate presentation to students and a board photo for the SpiderLab participants before the board moved into its business agenda.
