COSTA MESA : School Board OKs Closure of Farm
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District board voted unanimously this week to eliminate the Costa Mesa Farm Program.
Two weeks ago, the seven board members hinted that the farm, which has been a part of the district since the 1930s, was not generating enough student participation and could not justify the $110,000 in annual expenses.
On Tuesday night, the board reluctantly voted to close the farm June 30.
“One reason we hate to close it is because these are the last ties we have to the old Orange County,” board member Roderick H. MacMillian said. The farm “has had a great history.”
School officials have to decide what to do with the 20 acres of farmland, pens and stables for animals and a greenhouse. No students or parents came to the meeting to protest the move.
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