The Community School Park concept was set in motion 20 months ago when the City Council and L.A. Unified School District approved four schools, Calvert Street, Beethoven Street, Vine Street and Trinity Street to launch the pilot program. Saturn Elementary School now joins the ranks of this trail-blazing group and will more than likely be the first of the schools to be fully funded by late spring and begin construction at the summer break.

The pilot program is a timely and sorely needed response to the current harsh economic conditions. Local government and public agencies will be struggling for years to provide basic human services, especially in communities that need them the most. CSPs offer a model of how public agencies can share expertise and resources with the private sector, nonprofits like the Rings of Saturn, and community organizations to improve education and expand green space to the benefit of not only the school but to the community as a whole. The success of this project and others like it will set a precedent and instill confidence in further developing public / private relationships.