Santa Barbara Unified Opens Two Schools’ Fields for After-Hours Public Use

Harding’s Outdoor Play Areas Accessible After School, La Cumbre Junior High Open on Saturdays

Local government and school district officials joined Santa Barbara Unified Superintendent Hilda Maldonado and Mayor Randy Rowse on Wednesday to cut the ceremonial ribbon marking the opening of Harding and La Cumbre Junior High’s open spaces for the community. | Credit: Courtesy Santa Barbara Unified School District

A student leaving the Harding University Partnership School was calling someone on his Apple Watch as dignitaries entered the campus on Wednesday, February 7. “They’re doing a grand opening for the park,” he told his wrist enthusiastically, “so now we can play there after school.”

Described as an “exciting time for the Westside” by Santa Barbara Unified School District boardmember Gabe Escobedo, Harding’s outdoor playground, basketball court, and field will now be open to the public, Monday-Friday, after school until sundown. In addition, La Cumbre Junior High will be open for community use on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“This gives these children the opportunity to run, jump, climb, and explore the natural environment,” Escobedo said. “Open spaces like these foster creativity and imagination. You cannot overstate the value of a lifelong relationship with play.”

On Wednesday, district Superintendent Hilda Maldonado and Mayor Randy Rowse cut the ceremonial ribbon to mark the opening of these spaces for the community, which took months of planning and cooperation between city and county departments.

“The only time you get true interagency cooperation is kind of like seeing Bigfoot,” Rowse joked. “You better take a picture ’cause you’re not sure it really happened.”

The hodgepodge of public officials in attendance all remarked on how important it is to get kids away from screens and outside to play. But for many kids on the Westside, Maldonado said, that has been “a big challenge.” Access to nature and exploration is geographically limited — to say the least — for the families in the area.

City Councilmember Oscar Guiterrez said he hopes opening up the schools is just the beginning of “something greater” for the kids in the community overall.

The Santa Barbara Police Department and City Parks and Recreation rangers will patrol the campuses to ensure the safety of the parks. However, Police Chief Kelly Gordon said their intention is not to intimidate the public but to create positive connections with the community.

“We don’t always have to be that scary face,” she added. “This is a part of building those bridges, especially here on the Westside.”

Those who use the schools are asked to not litter and to honor the wheel-free zone (strollers and mobility aids okay), leave dogs at home, and monitor their children at all times.