Hart district officials are set to look at Common Core funding, audit reports and increased scholarship funds, among other business at their regular meeting Wednesday.

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The board is also evaluating its definition of a bid, when to contract for items and procedures for how this should take place.

The state is providing $4.6 million to the William S. Hart Union High School District, specifically directed toward professional development, instructional materials and curriculum planning for the Common Core Standards Initiative, according to a staff report.

Of those funds, about $2 million is expected to be spent on teacher training, about $500,000 on instructional materials and nearly $2.1 million on technology.

Professional development for all staff involved with implementing CCSS delivered on three pupil free days in the current school year.

A full-day Common Core strategies symposium is scheduled for Valentine’s Day, according to district documents.

The $4.6 million in Common Core support funds must be spent by July 1, 2015.

Contracts and bids

The district is also firming up its definition of contracts and conflicts of interest.

The district shall seek competitive bids through advertisement for contracts involving an expenditure of $15,000 or more for a public project, according to an item up for first reading in the district’s agenda.

In addition, competitive bids shall be sought through advertisements for contracts exceeding $72,400 for the following: a) the purchase, rent, or lease of equipment, material, or supplies; b) services, excluding construction services, professional services or advice, and insurance services; c) repairs, including maintenance that is not a public project.

A “public project” includes construction, reconstruction, erection, alteration, renovation, improvement, painting, repainting, demolition and repair work involving a district-owned, -leased or -operated facility.

The SCV Youth Project

The SCV Youth Project is also looking to further its help of at-risk students with continued support from the district.

“The Santa Clarita Valley Youth Project is a nonprofit agency that has been working with Hart district students on many of our campuses since 2000,” according to district documents.

During the first years of their existence, schools paid the Youth Project individually out of categorical funds targeting at-risk 10th graders.

The district has not funded the Youth Project since the 2009-10 school year; however, the Youth Project is operating on 10 campuses.

SCV Youth Project Director Kim Goldman will be making a presentation on the programs that the organization provides and asking the governing board to approve a request for funding for this current year in the amount of $50,000.

The Youth Project is proud to announce its sixth annual Cake Auction and Competition on March 8 at Valencia Country Club.

Whitening Lightning and Clear Channel Outdoor will kick it off, as the Foundation Sponsors for one of the organization’s major fundraiser.

Related articles: Santa Clarita Valley Youth Project Gears Up For 6th Annual Cake Auction

Student scholarships

There is also an item recommending that board members accept the scholarship donation of $149,000 from the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation.

The money would be disbursed as follows: for each comprehensive high school, one scholarship at $5,000; two at $4,000; two at $3,000; and two at $2,500, for a total of $144,000.

The five alternative high schools (Academy of the Canyons, Bowman High School, Hart at Home, Learning Post and Sequoia Charter School) would each receive one at $1,000.   

The Board of Directors of the HMN Foundation has increased the district’s annual grant to $149,000 for Newhall Scholarships awarded to graduating seniors, a 24 percent increase over recent years’ grants.

The Santa Clarita Valley Scholarship Foundation is responsible for selecting the scholarship winners.

Related article: Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation Increases Grants To Hart School District

The district also is expected to approve the school calendar for the next three school years, through 2017.

There’s also an item that will look at the expansion of tennis courts at Saugus High, new turf for Canyon High School’s football field and the purchase of seven portable classrooms and a restroom, which are already housed at West Ranch High School.

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