In a decisive move to clean up the air West Contra Costa County kids are breathing at school, the Bay Area Air District Board of Directors cracked open their wallets to the tune of $4 million to filter out the bad stuff both at home and in the classroom. Zeroing in on schools in Richmond, North Richmond, San Pablo, and Tara Hills, they're ponying up $1.3 million for the health of young lungs.
The Air District Board earmarked another chunk of change, $1.7 million, for similar improvements in the Bayview-Hunters Point schools in San Francisco. Meanwhile, the Home Air Filtration program is set to catch a cool $1 mil. According to the Bay Area Air District, Dr. Philip Fine, the Air District's executive, believes that "These upgrades will provide safer, healthier classrooms, which are essential to student learning and well-being." He also underscored the agency's aim to serve communities struggling more than others with dirty air.
Without costing the West Contra Costa Unified School District a dime, 14 public schools can look forward to breathing easy with high-efficiency air filtration retrofits and a five-year supply of filters. This fresh wave of funding isn't the first time the Air District has stepped in; they've already done their magic at a handful of elementary schools in the region.
Dr. Kim Moses, the interim head of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, is all about this health-minded handshake with the Bay Area Air District. Moses told the Bay Area Air District, "Investments like this strengthen our schools and help us create healthier learning environments where students can thrive."
