Pleasant Ridge Montessori School is one of five schools profiled in
Building Minds, Minding Buildings, a publication highlighting the work that
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) members and affiliates are doing to ensure that schools are designed and built in healthy and sustainable ways.
The profile examines how teachers, staff, parents and community members used green and sustainable principles to turn a declining neighborhood school into "the jewel of the school district".
Although convincing the school board to go green was a hard sell because of higher up-front costs, the community planning team was able to sway them with the promise of future cost savings and the draw of a healthier learning environment.
So far it has worked. Enrollment is nearly double what was expected, new teachers are coming on board, and the community has rallied around a new neighborhood anchor.
Read the full article
here. (PDF, page 21)
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