County school districts receive funds to purchase new meal preparation equipment

Cafeteria food just might taste a little better this fall for students at some Ventura County schools.

Earlier this month, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced that 242 school districts throughout the state would share a $12.8-million grant to buy new food preparation equipment.

In Ventura County, nine school districts will receive their share of $502,588 to buy new or replace outdated and inefficient kitchen equipment

Applicants had to show that the new equipment would increase student participation in the national school lunch program and contribute to food safety, energy efficiency and the nutritional quality of the food.

Competition for the one-time federal stimulus money was stiff, O'Connell said in a statement.

"The need for this funding was so great that we were able to fund only 18 percent of the $70 million in funding requests we received," O'Connell said.

As a result, he said he's urging ongoing federal funding for school kitchen equipment.

At Simi Valley Unified, Kathy Santiago, director of food services, said the $138,513 grant will replace 50-year-old service counters at four elementary schools—Abraham Lincoln, Park View, Santa Susana and Berylwood.

The new counters, which could be installed by the time school starts, will include a sneeze guard and builtin coolers, enabling cafeteria workers to put out milk and more fresh fruit for students.

The district will also replace a convection oven at Berylwood Elementary with a new one.

"It was time; they really needed it," Santiago said. "We're really excited to be able to get such a large sum to do a lot of work with."

Santiago said that, when applying for the grant, schools had to justify the need for every item requested.

Moorpark Unified had applied for $30,000 to replace kitchen equipment at two schools. The district received $18,626 and had to scale back its plans.

Community High School will buy kitchen equipment to prepare hot lunches, said Larry Brown, assistant superintendent of business services.

Since opening, the school has been able to offer students only cold sack lunches.

The alternative high school will soon have a convection oven, milk cooler and commercial-grade refrigerator, which will mean better food quality and more meal options for students, Brown said.

"I think it's going to be a boost for them," he said.

If the district has money left over, it will be used to replace aging kitchen equipment at Campus Canyon Elementary School, Brown said.

The $36,391 grant for the Oxnard Union High School District will buy cookware for Hueneme High and, at Channel Islands High, a food steamer and replacement for a six-burner range, said Judy Whalen, manager of Sodexo, the food management company contracted with the high school district.

Other grant recipients in Ventura County are Ocean View, Oxnard Elementary, Santa Paula Elementary, Santa Paula Union and Rio school districts.