Saugus Union School District officials are meeting over the next two days to discuss team-building, back-to-school nights and, most importantly, a bond measure and facilities need.

Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking Santa Clarita news alerts delivered right to your inbox.

Saugus Union officials are hosting an all-day management seminar at the district office Monday in Valencia from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Tuesday, the board plans to swear in David Powell at 7:30 p.m., whom board members nominated July 18 to replace Stephen Winkler. There will also be a bond measure discussion.

Related: Saugus Union Names David Powell To School District Governing Board

On Tuesday, the board also will form a school facilities improvement district in their ongoing effort to assess need in the district ahead of their intention to put a bond measure on the ballot.

Saugus Union officials have not formally announced how much they will seek; however, the school’s website said the figure could be as high as $150 million.

“Some of our schools are new or have been modernized, and others were built in the 1950s and 1960s. … Our older schools are suffering from leaky roofs and failing electrical systems that must be fixed,” according to school officials on the district’s website. “The Board has not made a final decision on the dollar amount, but is considering a bond amount of up to $150 million for school improvements.”

Related: Saugus School District Likely To Look At Bond Measure Next Year

A bond measure would be limited to no more than $30 per $100,000 of assessed (not market) property value, according to district officials.

The last bond measure Saugus Union officials sent to voters on the ballot was in 2002, when Measure E successfully raised $48 million to build two new schools and facilities upgrades.

The school district began to seek feedback in December with a survey to look at need.

The community survey, released both online and in a mailing to parents, fosters a collaborative dialogue by asking participants to rank their priorities for local elementary schools. Potential projects include:

• Updating schools to protect quality academic instruction in reading, writing, math and science;

• Adding science labs and equipment to enhance science education;

• Fixing or replacing leaky roofs, worn-out floors, hazardous materials and old rusty plumbing, where needed;

• Improving student safety and security;

• Providing students with more access to 21st-century learning technology;

• Updating outdated and inefficient electrical, heating and air conditioning systems to cut utility costs and save money.

The survey can be found here.

The district has 545 classrooms of which 175 are relocatables, approximately 32 percent of the classrooms, according to the facilities needs plan.

About 165 of the 175 relocatable classrooms will reach the end of their lifecycle by 2020.

The Saugus Union School District encompasses approximately 94 square miles of land, most of which is on the west side of the Santa Clarita Valley.

The district operates 15 elementary schools, and its 2013-14 enrollment is approximately 10,100 students.

The district also posted its back-to-school night schedule for four schools: Bridgeport is hosting one Aug. 11, as is Emblem Academy. Helmers is hosting a back-to-school night for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten on Aug. 11. Parents for grades 1-6 are invited for Aug. 12. Mountainview is hosting on Aug. 14.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

[node:title]

Article: [node:title]
Source: Santa Clarita News
Author: [node:author]