Area Schools Get Playground Grants

More than two dozen area schools will receive $582,199 in state funds to buy playground equipment made from recycled materials, officials have announced.

Statewide, nearly $2 million in grants were unanimously approved by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, part of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Money for the one-time grants came from Proposition 98 education funds, board spokeswoman Roni Java said.

The Los Angeles Unified School District received six grants totaling $141,799; the Burbank Unified School District received two grants totaling $50,000; the Lancaster Elementary School District received 15 grants totaling $328,800; and the Keppel Union School District in Pearblossom received five grants totaling $61,600.

At least half of the playground equipment purchased with the grants must be made from recycled materials, and school districts are required to provide some matching funds.

Competition for the grants was stiff, with the board receiving 397 applications requesting more than $8.7 million in funding, Java said.

Schools were ranked according to economic need, the age of the existing playground and the presence of recycling programs on campus.

The most severely deprived schools were awarded grants, and the remainder that met certain criteria were randomly chosen to receive funds, Java said.