SACRAMENTO, CA - Trust for Public LandVice President of the Pacific Region and California State Director Guillermo Rodriguez released the following statement after the California State Legislature successfully moved to includeeligibility for green school yard projects for both direct modernization and new construction grant funds in the proposed statewide education facilities bond:

"Today marks a major step forward for California's children and communities. By ensuring funding eligibility for green schoolyards, with bipartisan support our legislators have ensured that more kids will have safe schools, healthy learning environments, and green spaces that will mitigate the negative effects of extreme heat in and out of the classroom.

As California faces record heat temperatures, keeping kids cool and providing safe spaces to learn and thrive is more important now than ever. Trust for Public Land applauds legislative leaders, Senate President Pro Tem McGuire, Assembly Members Muratsuchi, Fong, Wilson and Senators Glazer, Stern and Newman's incredible efforts to ensure access to green spaces on campuses.We are excited for voters to pass the bond at the ballot box in November and to continue our work on greening schoolyards across California."

Trust for Public Land led a coalition of organizations and individuals to secure funding for green schoolyards through this legislative session, which included Community Coalition, Green Schoolyards America, LA Neighborhood Land Trust, Latino Outdoors, Parks Now, Promesa Boyle Heights, Tree People, and parents.

More information on Trust for Public Land's community schoolyards program can be found here.

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About Trust for Public Land 

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,364 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $94 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.4 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org