Dingle Elementary School students participate in a Cool Schools Design Engagement Session on May 2. The five Woodland schools in the Cool Schools Program are Beamer, Dingle, Freeman, Prairie and Whitehead elementary schools.
Woodland Joint USD plans ‘cool schools’ using grant funding
September 2, 2024
Woodland Joint Unified School District will receive a $9 million CAL FIRE grant to create cooler learning environments for five schools through a partnership with the Cool Schools Program and local tree-planting organizations.
To improve Woodland school facilities, voters passed Measure Y during the pandemic in 2020 when schools were shut down. As the district made strides in recovering from the impacts of the pandemic, it also made headway in finalizing Measure Y design and construction plans, as well as building partnerships to improve school facilities.
The district broke ground on several Measure Y improvement projects this summer and is now partnering with the Texas Tree Foundation’s award-winning Cool Schools Program on a $9 million grant to improve schools’ outdoor learning spaces.
The Cool Schools Program aims to improve the educational experience for students by connecting students and teachers to nature through tree planting and creating fun outdoor learning areas so that students can play and learn outside, even during the hot season.
“We are thankful for this unique opportunity that will help to enhance and complement our upcoming Measure Y school improvement projects,” said WJUSD Superintendent Elodia Ortega-Lampkin, in a news release. “We look forward to being among the first schools in California to adopt this innovative program. We are thankful for our board and community members for valuing our facility needs and environmentally friendly outdoor learning spaces for our students.”
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Currently, California schools only average 9 percent tree canopy. Through this new initiative called “Cool Schools Yolo County,” tree canopies for five elementary schools will increase to 30 percent, which is anticipated to cool campuses up to 15 degrees on hot summer days and save the district significant costs in air conditioning services.
Local tree-planting organizations Woodland Tree Foundation and Tree Davis are partners in the Cool Schools initiative that will benefit both WJUSD and Washington Unified School District, which also has five schools participating in the program and will receive its own grant funding.
The Cool Schools Program provides nature-based solutions to address environmental challenges such as local air quality, watershed management and the urban heat island effect, which occurs when lack of tree coverage and excess of heat-absorbing materials like asphalt cause schoolyards to be some of the hottest places in communities.
The Cool Schools Program is founded on research indicating that access to nature improves learning by replenishing students’ attention more effectively and increasing their ability to concentrate by creating more hands-on outdoor learning and play spaces for students.
Students, families and staff will provide input to the Texas Trees Foundation on the design. Design elements may include natural playgrounds, nature trails and green infrastructure like rain gardens, pocket forests and arboretums.
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