L.A. School Board Votes Unanimously for Community-School Parks Proposal

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

On Feb. 26, the LAUSD School Board unanimously supported a proposal for Community-School Parks by President Monica Garcia and members Marlene Canter and Richard Vladovic. Also endorsing the motion were Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte, Tamar Galatzan, Yolie Flores Aguilar and Julie Korenstein.

Speaking in favor of the motion were Councilman Tom LaBonge, who sponsored a parallel proposal in December at the L.A. City Council for a pilot joint-use project with the LAUSD to landscape playgrounds at 15 elementary schools, People for Parks Vice Pres. John Perez, and Bill Latka, a parent at Beethoven Elementary School.

The vote is the culmination of a 2-year effort by non-profit People for Parks (PFP), which has worked with parent, community, labor and environmental groups throughout the city to develop the Community-School Parks plan that inspired the motion.

PFP President Jack Foley called the vote a large step toward resolving a citywide crisis. "There aren't enough parks in Los Angeles," Foley said, "and minority communities have borne an unequal share of this deficit. A vibrant local park, like a high-achieving local school, is an asset for an entire neighborhood."

Los Angeles ranks last among major U.S. cities for access to green space. Only a third of L.A. children live within walking distance of a park, compared to more than 90 percent in Boston and New York. The asphalt wasteland stretches from San Pedro's harbor through the San Fernando Valley.

The LAUSD motion instructs School Supt. David Brewer to convene a working group representing the District, City of Los Angeles and community organizations to develop a plan for creating Community-School Parks. The working group will:

-- Select school sites to landscape and open elementary school playgrounds during weekends and school breaks for youth and family access;

-- Work with Beyond the Bell to design high-quality, supervised programming that addresses students' physical and educational needs; and

-- Identify public and private funding sources to implement, operate and maintain playgrounds during non-school periods.

The working group will report back within 60 days on ways to implement a partnership around Community-School Parks, including a draft Memorandum of Understanding with interested community organizations, civic foundations and the City of Los Angeles.

The Community-School Parks plan has been endorsed by ACORN, One L.A., the Korean American Coalition, the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF), Concerned Citizens of South Central L.A., City Project, Local 721 of the Service Employees International Union, North East Trees, the William C. Velasquez Institute, Mujeres de la Tierra, the Latino Urban Forum, L.A. Works, TreePeople, the Hollywood Beautification Team, Pacoima Beautiful, the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Verde Coalition, L.A. Conservation Corps, C.U.R.E. (Common Unity Reaching Everyone), the Youth Policy Institute, the Audubon Center at Debs Park, and Arts Corps L.A.