In Santa Clarita : Districts Seek Money for New High School

Two Santa Clarita Valley school districts, working with state finance officials, are trying to develop legislation that would speed the allocation of California construction funds and hasten the completion of a fourth high school for the valley.

Clyde Smyth, superintendent of the William S. Hart Union High School District, said Friday that he and Saugus Union Elementary School District officials hope that a legislative package can be developed and a sponsor found sometime early next year.

In essence, the proposals would allow the school districts to use two potential funding sources at the same time, rather than separately.

Hart and Saugus officials discussed the proposals Thursday with representatives from the state Department of Education, state Department of Finance, State Allocation Board and the valley’s major developer, Newhall Land and Farming Co.

The aim, Smyth said, is to raise funds for a 2,000-student high school to be built on 44 acres north of Newhall Ranch Road in Valencia. Plans for the yet unnamed school, scheduled to open in 1992, took a step forward Wednesday when the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission approved a zone change for the property.

The Hart district hopes to purchase the land from the Newhall Land and Farming Co. by next August, Smyth said. The district needs to raise $30 million for the school, and Hart officials believe they can collect part of the money by creating an assessment district that would sell bonds to finance the school.

Newhall Land has said it is willing to create such an assessment district in its new Northbridge development. Homeowners in the district would pay off the bonds through tax assessments.

Under law, however, the assessment district would have to raise all the funds to build the school, Smyth said. The state could not contribute money for the school during construction, although it could contribute money to pay off the bonds after the school is built.

The problem, Smyth said, is finding a way to let the state contribute its share at the same time the assessment district is created.