Thierry Albertini: 'Education is one of the pillars of our society'

On the front line, municipalities bear a major responsibility: maintaining premises, supporting educational teams and families, designing adapted extracurricular times, and opening welcoming spaces for parents.

'These missions, conceived in coherence and dialogue, go beyond the school framework alone. They reflect a genuine public policy that commits the future. Because investing in schools is not just about building or rehabilitating buildings: it means rethinking the city, adapting it to climate challenges, improving daily life and preparing the future of future generations,' insists Thierry Albertini.

'In La Valette-du-Var, we made this choice. Since 2020, six out of eleven schools have been rehabilitated or rebuilt, schoolyards are being greened and de-paved to combat heat islands, rainwater harvesting and biodiversity are finding their place even in play areas. These structural projects support an ambitious educational policy, with projects to raise awareness of climate issues, the Inclusion Day, or the implementation of the Réseau parentalité for which La Valette is a pilot city,' adds the mayor.

Since 2020, six out of eleven schools have been rehabilitated or rebuilt, schoolyards are being greened to combat heat islands, rainwater harvesting and biodiversity are finding their place even in play areas. These structural projects support an ambitious educational policy, with projects to raise awareness of climate issues, the Inclusion Day, or the implementation of the Réseau parentalité for which La Valette is a pilot city,' explains the vice-president of the Département. GLOBAL APPROACH Concretely, this momentum continues with new projects: de-paving of the Jean-Giono and Thyde-Monnier schoolyards, reconstruction of the Paul-Arène and Pierre-de-Ronsard schools and soon the opening of a Maison des familles.

The mayor continues: 'In La Valette-du-Var, it resonates every day in our schools, our neighborhoods, and our families, and will continue to do so sustainably.

The schoolyard of the Célestin-Freinet school, located in the La Coupiane neighborhood, was largely paved and was starting to show its age. These worn surfaces - heat unfavorable to the thermal comfort of children. The rehabilitation project aimed to reinvent these spaces, in an approach to improve the living and playing conditions for the students'.

The project aims for a peaceful, green living environment, conducive to well-being and biodiversity. It is therefore about reducing heat islands, promoting sustainable rainwater management, developing an attractive playground that complies with safety standards, and maintaining and improving the functionality of pathways, while ensuring accessibility for emergency services. COMBATING HEAT ISLANDS Moreover, this momentum continues with new projects including the reconstruction of the Paul-Arène and Pierre-de-Ronsard schools, and the opening of a Maison des familles.

In La Valette, quality education, ranked 4th in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, is not a slogan but a political commitment that we have embraced for nearly six years. 'These surfaces were worn and unfavorable to the thermal comfort of children. The rehabilitation project aimed to reinvent these spaces, in a global approach to improve the living and playing conditions for the students,' concludes the mayor, referring to the schoolyard of the Célestin-Freinet school.