The successful collaboration between the San Diego County Water Authority and the Whittier School in Clairemont to update the school’s landscaping delivered unexpected benefits to the neighborhood.

Senior Water Resources Specialist Debby Dunn says the Whittier School project was an ideal candidate for the Water Authority’s grant-funded Direct Installation Landscape Program. It met the pilot program’s goals, including its visible location along busy Clairemont Drive in a disadvantaged neighborhood.

Seven commercial projects were funded through the program.

Collaboration Delivers Bonus Results

Whittier School principal Kerie Sanders and Associate Principal Christopher Barrera are pleased with the results of the landscaping project. Photo: Courtesy Whittier School

Whittier School is a specialized K-12 school for students with high behavioral needs not being met at their neighborhood schools. “We are the school in the entire district that receives those students to work on some of those adaptive or transitional skills here, so that they can transition back to a comprehensive education site and move toward independence,” explained Associate Principal Christopher Barrera.

Andrea Eaton, Maintenance Planning Senior Coordinator for the San Diego Unified School District, and Kerie Sanders, Whittier School principal, said the school landscaping had deteriorated and was starting to affect school operations.

Whittier School landscaping before its makeover. Photo: Courtesy Whittier School

Sanders said staff conduct tours for parents who want to place their children at Whittier School. Some were discouraged by the school’s run-down appearance. “They looked around and thought ‘wow, people don’t care,’ and it’s not true,” said Sanders.

The impression of the undesirable landscape extended into the neighborhood. “The community thought Whittier was an abandoned school,” said Sanders. It led to neglect, including littering, forcing school employees to clean it all up.

Design Inclusivity Featured in Whittier School Landscape Project

Contractor EcoTech Services worked with Whittier School leaders to minimize disruption for students. Photo: Courtesy Whittier School

District and school representatives worked with the Water Authority and their contractor, EcoTech Services, to plan and install the new landscaping in advance of the school district’s planned modernization effort at Whittier School. Barrera praised the collaborative effort to make the project a reality.

The unique needs of the Whittier School’s students required special accommodations by contractor EcoTech during installation. The EcoTech field technicians expressed how they had a really big love for this project,” said Sanders.

“It was pretty cool to see the inclusivity in the design side. The construction team was mindful about the equipment they were using at certain times where the students are passing through that space,” said Sanders of Eco-Tech’s awareness of student sensitivities. “You don’t see that type of  consideration every day.”

New Landscaping Improves Learning Environment

New trees and pollinator-friendly plants create a fresh environment for wildlife, for school staff and students, and for the Clairemont neighborhood. Photo: Courtesy Whittier School

The finished project includes a walking path designed specifically for the students. New trees and plants beautified the learning environment for students, the workplace for staff, and the school’s reputation in the neighborhood. Sanders said neighbors are treating the property with a new, respectful attitude.

To use water more efficiently, the irrigation system was updated with more efficient sprinkler heads, and a previously undetected water leak was discovered and repaired.

Sanders said Whittier School now looks loved and cared for as a true reflection of its mission. “How our school presents itself is how we care about our kids. Now, when parents pull up into the driveway to pick up their kids or come for events or meetings, our school aligns with how we care about the kids in our school. It seems like an outside manifestation of the work that’s happening on the inside, too.

“I am very, very grateful to the team that gifted us all of this, and we’re working every day inside to make it right and live up to the beauty that’s on the outside,” said Sanders.

Assembly Bill 1572 and Nonfunctional Turf

In an effort to conserve water and promote sustainable landscaping, California has enacted Assembly Bill 1572 (AB 1572), which prohibits the use of potable water to irrigate nonfunctional turf on specific property types, including commercial, industrial, and institutional properties, and common areas of homeowners’ associations.

Signed into law in 2023, it begins to take effect for different property categories from 2027 through 2031.

A variety of helpful programs and rebates are still available to help other commercial, industrial, and institutional landscapes meet the State of California’s new non-functional turf regulations (AB1572). Photo: Courtesy Whittier School

Nonfunctional turf is grass that serves only an aesthetic purpose and is not used for recreation. Examples include grass in center medians and parking lots, decorative landscaping, and other uses for aesthetic purposes.

Functional turf is grass that serves a useful purpose beyond just looking nice. It is turf actively used for recreation, sports, or community events where people (or sometimes animals) walk, play, or gather.

Dunn said a variety of helpful programs and rebates are still available to help other commercial, industrial, and institutional landscapes meet the State of California’s new non-functional turf regulations (AB1572), including:

• Turf Replacement Rebate of $4/square foot. For details, visit SoCalWaterSmart.com
• Selection of Water Smart plants with the Water Authority’s Nifty 50 and Happy 100 Plant Lists. SDCWA.org/conservation

For more information about the new regulations and tools and programs to help affected businesses and organizations comply, contact Debby Dunn at or 858-522-6745.