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Verona schools win $51,705 Trees for Schools grant to plant 4 dozen trees across district
Summary
The superintendent said Verona Public School District received a $51,705 Trees for Schools grant to purchase, plant and maintain trees over three years at multiple school sites and the Verona Civic Center.
The Verona superintendent told the board on July 22 that Verona Public School District has been awarded $51,705 through the Trees for Schools grant program to fund planting and maintenance of trees across district properties.
The superintendent said the Trees for Schools program is a joint initiative of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Sustainable New Jersey and The College of New Jersey, and that the grants are funded by Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auction proceeds. The program will plant trees at public schools, colleges and universities statewide; Verona is one of 33 school recipients this year.
District plans presented to the board call for planting 12 large trees on the high school lower field (identified as an intense heat‑island area), additional conifers near the former band‑room site, four medium trees at HPW to reduce runoff on steep slopes, two trees to be planted by fifth‑grade classes as part of a classroom activity, kindergarten planting celebrations at elementary schools through the Watch Me Grow program, site plantings to reduce erosion at Landing Avenue and Forest Avenue, one large replacement pine at the Verona Civic Center, and six medium trees at Liberty and Freedom Fields.
The superintendent said the grant will fund planning, site preparation, watering, monitoring and maintenance for three years and described expected co‑benefits: shade, stormwater filtration, reduced urban heat‑island effects, erosion control and student learning opportunities about environmental stewardship.
The board did not take additional action beyond accepting the superintendent’s report; staff said planting schedules and site maps will be prepared and posted to the district website once finalized.
