Temporary Changes To High School Graduation Requirements Approved At Hart District Board Meeting
A temporary reduction of credits required to graduate for seniors of the 2020/21 School Year in the William S. Hart Union High School District was approved at a board meeting Wednesday.
In a regular board meeting for the William S. Hart Union School District Wednesday evening, Hart District Superintendent Mike Kuhlman introduced a motion to temporarily reduce the required credits for seniors to graduate from 230 to 220.
“Due to the pandemic emergency, staff recommend that the governing board authorize a temporary reduction in graduation requirements form 230 to 220 credits for all students for the 2020/21 school year, said Kuhlman in a statement Wednesday. “The 10 credit reduction would only be in the area of electives.”
The William S. Hart Union High School District is looking for one new member to serve on the Measure SA Citizens’ Oversight Committee. This member will serve a two-year term with a maximum of three consecutive terms.
The committee is looking for one member filling the “Member in a Bona Fide Taxpayer Organization” category and would need to be an active member of that organization.
Employees, contractors, vendors and consultants of the William S. Hart Union High School District are not eligible to be on the committee.
Measure SA is a $300 million general obligation bond passed by voters in Santa Clarita in November, 2008. Its purpose is to fund construction projects such as the new Castaic High School, Performing Arts Centers at Canyon and Saugus High Schools, and improvement projects at other high schools and junior highs.
Santa Clarita Valley public junior high and high school students will remain in the blended learning model two days a week of in-person instruction for the remainder of the year, William S. Hart Union High School District officials announced Wednesday night.
While providing the meeting’s regular “Return to School Update,” Superintendent Mike Kuhlman said that because of transportation issues, along with the limited time before finals week and graduations, the final days of the 2020-21 school year will be spent under the current blended learning format.
“A big piece of the decision-making here has to do with the complexities of providing transportation to the many students who rely upon district and city services,” said Kuhlman. “Distancing requirements still limit the capacity of buses, which means more buses, which means added routes, which means additional personnel.”
During their first in-person meeting of the year, William S. Hart Union High School District governing board members are planning to hear public comments under a new format Wednesday, as well as discuss a potential decrease to the number of units seniors need to graduate in light of COVID-19.
Officials have said they will be providing the meeting in a hybrid format, with board members being physically in attendance at the district office while also streaming the public session on the district’s YouTube channel.
Community members will have the opportunity to address the board in person. Those wishing to make public comment will be admitted to the board room one at a time. Masks and symptom checks will be required, officials said.
Four Santa Clarita High Schools In Hart District Named California Distinguished Schools
Four high schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District have been named 2021 California Distinguished Schools during a bi-annual event hosted by the California Department of Education(CDE).
Academy of the Canyons (AOC), Golden Valley, Hart and West Ranch were chosen by California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond to become 2021 California Distinguished Schools. The four high schools join Placerita, Rancho Pico and Rio Norte junior highs, which were named 2021 California Distinguished Schools on March 19.
“These additional high schools join the ranks of all 2021 California Distinguished Schools who are being recognized for this distinction because of their exceptional record to provide for all students and their commitment to data-driven efforts that prepare students for college and career,” Thurmond said in a statement Wednesday.