Enrollment growth didn’t meet expectations, so the district is now currently paying over $130,000 a year in fees back to the government for an empty lot in La Costa Valley because the district has not been using the land it purchased 10 years ago as a middle school, its original purpose.
So, instead of continuing to pay this fee, the district decided to build a small educational facility there consisting of a black top, a shade structure, and a storage shed, to make it an outdoor field lab. As long as some education is taking place at the site, the fee no longer needs to be paid. The idea is that students will use this facility to survey the site and learn about their natural local environment.
Great idea! Sort of….
10 years ago, the 4 acre site was graded into two levels so it could be ready to be built when needed, one level 20 feet above the other. What remains now is an open grassland of non-native annual grasses, a few Coyote Bushes, some California Sage, and maybe a few patches of ice plant. Little bio-diversity.
The site, while this is an intrinsically beautiful site in its recovery to a naturalized state, is not much of an educational opportunity for high school students. Wouldn’t it be better to send classes to a local lagoon or preserve that hasn’t been flattened and removed of all native life? This lack of educational opportunity is not justified by saving the district money.
However, this response is better than the original idea for the site. For now the site will remain an open space in the middle of a dense suburban development instead of an intensive use educational facility, a win for the preservationists and wildlife using the site!
Image 1: Lower half of the two tiered site.
Image 2: Facility where students conduct their work? Not exactly sure.
Image 3: Maybe it is a detention facility for all the kids who act out.
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