Hey Woodland School, our 40+ year neighbor.
THE COMMUNITY CALLS FOR
‘Equitable Access for All’
to the shared public resources entrusted to our care.
Restore Play Access
Let’s make friends in the play areas and on the field, it just might be time for a joint community play date or a neighborly soccer game. Who is hosting?
Preserve Green Space
Sorry, but we can’t turn our beautiful field into a parking lot, so let’s keep it car-free, shall we?
Control Traffic Impact
We need to play it safe and share the road responsibly, we’ve got little pedestrians going places.
Since 1952, the play areas at the Ladera School site have been a cherished community resource. When Woodland School was founded in 1981, the agreement was to always share the play areas with the community. In 2017, Woodland restricted public access during the crucial afternoon hours for children’s play, a move that was quietly implemented and never officially enforced until recently. Woodland now requests greater exclusive access further barring the community—impacting the neighborhood quality of life and the health and wellbeing of residents. The concerned citizens of Ladera and Menlo Park call to reinstate the original principle of shared access ‘outside of typical public school hours’ that had been the norm for nearly four decades.
Today the play areas include the field, playground, blacktop, sand volleyball court and bocce ball court.
350+ resident supporters
What Changed Over the Years?
In 2012, Woodland was granted a 25-year lease to use the buildings and a license to use the play areas during regular school hours from 8:30 to 3pm.
Why a lease + license? A major change happened as the school district could no longer lease the fields due the Naylor Act which protects community green space.
So the workaround to the Naylor Act was for LLESD to create a license allowing its tenant at the Ladera School site to use the play areas.
The buildings leased to Woodland School are outlined in red
The play areas shared with Woodland School are outlined in blue
The play areas of Ladera school area have been open to the public since 1952—today, this includes the field, playground, blacktop, sand volleyball court and bocce ball court. The play areas are critical community resources, the field is the only nearby flat land and the only accessible area that the 200+ kids in Ladera can safely access on foot or bike.
Why is this access issue coming up now?
- In 2017, LLESD and Woodland completed a private agreement, not shared with the community, that changed the Woodland School play area license hours from 7:30am to 5pm. This agreement was only recently discovered in 2023.
- Woodland has been putting up official and unofficial signage and enforcing ‘rules’ to support their business.
- For 18 months they had signs excluding the neighborhood for more than their license agreement permitted.
- Woodland has recently requested to extend its A) operating hours and B) play area license hours until 6pm, this request to extend the play area hours would take more public resources away from the community.
The field is typically not occupied after school—meanwhile, local kids wait to play.
Join our movement for change, advocating for the betterment of our communities. Together, we can work to restore equitable access for play and recreation.
“I’m dismayed to learn that these exclusive hours were extended from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm without any public notice or any input from the community,” said Rosemary Hintz, Las Lomitas Parent
“As a community we were left out of this decision that effectively stole our play space,” said Peter Caryotakis, longtime Ladera resident
✓ Community
✓ Kids ✓ Good Neighbor
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Woodland share the field?
Yes, since 1981 Woodland has shared the field after school. It’s only a recent request for Woodland to ask for exclusive access.
Why is Woodland School not letting the community use the only green space?
The community doesn’t have an answer to why Woodland has changed its use model which was in operation since 1981 to share the field with the community.
Who owns the land that Woodland is renting?
The Las Lomitas School District owns the school site in Ladera.
How long is the Woodland lease?
Woodland currently has a 25 year lease that ends in 2038.
Can I download the original lease documents?
Absolutely, all the lease documents are available on the legal documents page.
READY TO OPEN OUR FIELD AND PLAY AREAS
Join parents and community members to drive change.
Las Lomitas Elementary School District (LLESD) owns the property at 360 La Cuesta Dr. and has leased the site to Woodland School since 1981. This year, it was published that the district expects to receive $958,803 for the Woodland lease.
Experts assert that renting 10.5 acres in Silicon Valley should rent should for 2 to 3 times the amount paid, meaning the school district may have lost $25M on this lease agreement.