Agenda Item
iv. Donation Acceptance: Donation of $250,000 from Intuit, Inc. Food Truck Program to Career Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE)
Summary: Presented by: Mrs. Jennifer Caracciolo, Interim Chief of Community Engagement and Innovative Partnership
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education accept the $250,000 donation from Intuit, Inc. for their national Food Truck Program in support of the DeKalb County School District culinary programs at Arabia Mountain High School, Columbia High School, Cross Keys High School, Clarkston High School, Lakeside High School, McNair High School, Miller Grove High School, Redan High School, Southwest DeKalb High School, Stephenson High School, Tucker High School, and Warren Technical High School.
The Intuit Food Truck Program immerses students in the management and operation of a fully functioning food truck business, allowing them to build culinary, technical, entrepreneurial, and durable skills-as well as financial literacy-in a real-world environment.
By providing students with hands-on learning experiences and authentic industry exposure, the Intuit Food Truck Program supports the development of the next generation of business owners, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
Why: The Intuit Food Truck Program aligns with the DeKalb County School District’s Portrait of a Graduate by providing students with an innovative, real-world learning experience that strengthens creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Through the design, branding, management, and daily operation of a fully functional food truck, students are encouraged to demonstrate curiosity and originality while developing innovative solutions to authentic business challenges. The program requires students to examine issues from multiple perspectives-culinary, financial, entrepreneurial, and operational-as they create new processes, troubleshoot problems, and refine ideas. This hands-on experience fosters inquiry by prompting students to ask questions, explore possibilities, and generate new solutions that reflect real industry expectations.
In alignment with the district’s Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) mission and goals, the Intuit Food Truck Program prepares DeKalb County students to compete in a global, technologically advanced society. By engaging in a high-demand, high-skill career pathway, students gain industry-relevant competencies that strengthen workforce readiness. The program also supports teachers in delivering high-quality instruction, activities, and events aligned to CTAE standards. Additionally, the Intuit Food Truck Program enhances postsecondary preparation by immersing students in career-based learning while cultivating the habits of self-directed, lifelong learners. Students deepen their understanding of entrepreneurship, financial literacy, customer service, teamwork, and community responsibility-key attributes that shape socially conscious graduates.
Furthermore, the program supports early career awareness by exposing middle and high school students to a wide range of culinary, business, and technical opportunities. Through this partnership, Intuit provides an exceptional hands-on learning environment that bridges classroom instruction with real-world application. This experience reinforces the district’s commitment to ensuring every CTAE student is equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to succeed beyond graduation.
The Intuit Food Truck Program not only enriches instructional practice but also strengthens the district’s ability to prepare the next generation of leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
Details: The Intuit Food Truck Program provides significant budget relief by supporting a major infrastructure investment for the district and its students. The fully equipped mobile kitchen included in the donation strengthens instructional capacity across participating schools. The program also offers meaningful and relevant work-based learning experiences for students across multiple Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) pathways, including Culinary Arts, Agriculture, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Audio/Video, Graphic Design, and Business.
Through this donation, the district will receive a fully equipped, industry-standard mobile kitchen that allows students and teachers to develop and implement a complete food truck concept-from initial idea to full launch. The Intuit team will collaborate closely with DeKalb CTAE to plan, build, and activate the program, guiding students and teachers through the process of operating a functional food truck business within the school community.
DeKalb County School District CTAE will benefit from increased community visibility and engagement as students participate in local events with a student-led food truck. This initiative not only showcases students’ culinary and entrepreneurial talents but also strengthens meaningful connections between students and district stakeholders, including families, community partners, and local businesses, reinforcing a strong sense of community involvement.
The following schools will participate in the Intuit Food Truck Program:
Arabia Mountain High School, Columbia High School, Cross Keys High School, Clarkston High School, Lakeside High School, McNair High School, Miller Grove High School, Redan High School, Southwest DeKalb High School, Stephenson High School, Tucker High School, and Warren Technical High School.
Financial impact: None
Contact: Dr. Penny Mosley, Interim Chief Academic Officer, Division of Curriculum & Instruction, 678-676-0731
Dr. Rose Prejean-Harris, 6-12 Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, 678-676-0137
Mrs. Doryiane Gunter, Career Technical and Agricultural Education Director, 678-676-0451
Effective: January 13, 2026 - ongoing
Status: Pending Approval by the Office of Legal Affairs
Scope of Work: Intuit Food Truck Program
Overview of Intuit’s Partnership & Support for the DCSD CTAE Food Truck Program
The Intuit Education Team will work collaboratively with DeKalb County School District’s
CTAE Department, teachers, and students from the earliest planning stages through the
full launch of the student-run food truck. This partnership ensures a streamlined, high-
quality implementation aligned with Intuit’s national guidelines and DCSD expectations.
1. Donation to DeKalb County School District
The Intuit Food Truck initiative is a full donation to DCSD CTAE, including:
• The student-run food truck
• All design and branding support
• Curriculum resources
• Intuit staff guidance and oversight
• Launch event support
There is no cost to the district for the program, the implementation support, or the
services provided by the Intuit team. This initiative is intended as a meaningful investment
into DCSD’s Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education ecosystem, supporting
entrepreneurship, design thinking, and real-world culinary experience for students.
2. Start-to-Finish Implementation Support
Intuit uses a structured, end-to-end support model that guides the district, teachers, and
students through each step, including:
• Program Orientation & Onboarding
Intuit will meet with teachers/students—both in person and virtually—to launch the
program, review expectations, and introduce the required implementation steps.
Teachers will also be trained by the Intuit team and the required Intuit learning modules.
3. Required Intuit Modules
As part of the implementation process, teachers and students will complete Intuit’s for
education instructional modules, which are designed to guide each phase of the project.
The modules are
Program Overview
Food Truck Naming & Theme
Graphic Design & Wrap Development
Finance and Business Operations
Additional Modules (as needed): **
Focused on branding, entrepreneurship, design thinking, feedback cycles, and launch
preparation.
Completion of these modules ensures:
• Students receive industry-aligned learning experiences
• Teachers have guided support at each milestone
• All deliverables meet the standards required by Intuit, DCSD Legal, CTAE leadership,
and Communications
The modules must be completed sequentially as the program moves through naming,
design, approval, and final launch.
4. Collaborative Design & Review Process
Teachers and students will work with Intuit to produce all required deliverables.
Naming & Theme Development
• Teachers and students generate name/theme concepts
• Intuit, DCSD Legal, CTAE Leadership, and Marketing/Communications review and
approve the final selection
Graphic Design & Truck Wrap
• Culinary + Graphic Design students create wrap concepts
• Intuit provides technical and creative feedback
• Final designs undergo brand and legal review
• Intuit approves and submits the wrap for vendor production
5. In-Person and Virtual Guidance Throughout
To ensure accuracy and fidelity at every step, Intuit will support DCSD CTAE through:
• Scheduled in-person meetings
• Virtual check-ins and milestone reviews
• Feedback cycles aligned with module deadlines
• Collaboration with district leadership
• Step-by-step monitoring of progress
Intuit’s team remains actively engaged from beginning to end, ensuring the district stays
aligned with all program guidelines and timelines.
6. Buildout, Handoff & Launch
Intuit continues support through:
• Wrap production
• Final quality checks
• Official handoff of the food truck to DCSD
• Launch event celebration, supported by Intuit’s marketing and educational teams
Summary
The Intuit Food Truck Program is a completely donated initiative that provides DCSD with
a turnkey, structured, and fully supported learning experience. Through required modules,
guided collaboration, and extensive in-person and virtual support, Intuit ensures the
program:
• Meets all requirements from Intuit, DCSD Legal, CTAE, and Communications
• Provides high-quality, real-world learning for students
• Launches with a professionally executed design, brand, and wrap
This partnership represents a major opportunity for DeKalb students to gain hands-on
experience in culinary arts, entrepreneurship, design thinking, and project leadership—
with world-class support every step of the way.