Keep families in Monterey

My family and I lived in your community from 2015 to 2020. My husband finished out his military career at the Naval Postgraduate School.

We discovered Family Fun Days offered by the Monterey Museum of Art and Science Saturdays offered by the Pacific Grove Natural History Museum. These free programs exposed my young children to art and science.

In addition to the museums mentioned above, we purchased memberships to My Museum and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. At My Museum, my children had the opportunity to role-play, be imaginative, meet new friends, and create pieces of art. With our aquarium membership, my children discovered sea creatures of all kinds and the importance of taking care of their environment.

Although we enjoyed living in Monterey and our children wanted to stay, we could not afford to purchase a house, and my husband and I also became disillusioned with the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. Housing costs for a singlefamily home are astronomical, and the lack of resources available to students in public schools is undeniable.

My children attended La Mesa Elementary from 2017-2020. We were impressed with the quality of teachers; however, we were disappointed with the lack of resources.

Unlike our current public school in San Diego, our children did not have a consistent physical education teacher, music teacher, art teacher, or drama teacher. In conclusion, Monterey, you offer a wealth of resources and are a community that embraces children and families. I implore you to develop affordable housing and to pour money into your public schools. Work together to create an environment that is conducive to turning temporary residents into permanent neighbors.

— Cara Good, San Diego