To the editor: Thanks a lot for the article about lack of shade on California’s Okay-12 campuses (“Most of California’s public Okay-12 college students go to highschool on campuses with nearly no shade,” Oct. 29).
I dwell in Santa Monica and our college board is busy reducing down faculty campus timber and changing inexperienced grassy areas with synthetic turf. Total, they’re shrinking regenerative inexperienced outside areas in order that they’ll preserve constructing giant new buildings — the over-development agenda. It’s very troubling.
Despite the fact that Santa Monica is a rich metropolis total, we nonetheless have many youngsters on free and reduced-cost lunch in any respect of our college websites. As well as, Santa Monica is sort of 80% multifamily residences, that means that our parks and the varsity campus inexperienced areas and playgrounds perform as many, many households’ backyards.
No matter household sources, each child on the planet wants inexperienced outside area and cooling shade from timber to thrive.
Our native elementary faculty PTA planted 18 timber on the campus again in 2008 and practically all of them are slated for removing now by the varsity district — to get replaced with one other giant constructing and a small synthetic turf discipline. I used to be a part of that planting crew and for 2 years afterward, every classroom was accountable for watering one of many timber to assist it thrive and take root.
It’s all very unhappy and nonsensical so, once more, I respect employees author Tyrone Beason and the Los Angeles Instances shining a lightweight on this challenge.
Ann Bowman, Santa Monica
