AUBURN — The School Department’s vacancies are filling up, Superintendent Susan Dorris said during Wednesday’s School Committee meeting.

“We are in very good shape right now with respect to filling positions. We are seeing more applicants this year than we have in the past, so that is a very positive development,” Dorris said.

As of mid-July, the district had over 45 openings, some of which were in the final stages of the hiring process.

“We have hired 15 new teachers and we have nine vacancies right now. I do want to note that quite a few teachers are in the process of being hired. So while it says nine, it’s really more like four or five right now,” Dorris said. “In the superintendent’s office, we are looking to fill the assistant superintendent position.”

Other committee discussion included Auburn Public Schools being named last week as the leading partner in a new U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.

The grant comes through a shared effort with Brunswick-based Full Plates Full Potential and several local partners. It aims to bring Maine produce into the state’s school meals and build a sustainable presence for local farms.

The Auburn Public Schools will be receiving $623,970 to establish a processing hub for local produce within the combined school districts of Auburn, Lewiston and Lisbon.

The department’s new business manager, Amanda Couture, confirmed that they are preparing to move forward with their plans this fall.

According to Couture, Chris Piercey, the district’s nutrition director, is looking to purchase equipment and freeze produce to be served throughout the school year.

“Mr. Piercey is on the side of getting the equipment together in the space at the middle school to prepare all that food and then find freezer space to store it,” Couture said.