DISTRICT DRAWS UP STRATEGIC 'ROAD MAP' SANTA CLARITA SOLICITS COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.

Byline: Sue Doyle Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - David Trepp became involved with his son's education so there wouldn't be any surprises when report cards came home.

The Canyon Country man wanted open communication with teachers and to know what his son was learning in school each day. Now he's in the know.

And now he hopes other parents will get involved in the same way, something he'll recommend next month during open strategic plan meetings where parents, students and community members with ideas about the future of the William S. Hart Union High School District are invited to speak out.

``All along I've been told that the more involved a parent is with their kid's education the more educated that kid will be,'' Trepp said.

The district will play host to a series of strategic planning meetings in January that will help shape its direction for the next five years, and it is looking for input from those inside and outside the school community. Everything from curriculum to community relations will be discussed.

The district wants to know what it's doing well, what could be better and what should be the focus for the next five years, said Pat Willett, district spokeswoman.

Consultants will review information from the 90-minute meetings and will break it down into main topics that the district and school board will focus on.

``It's a road map, so you know where you're going and how you're going to get there,'' Willett said.

Willett said input from business leaders, elected officials and people who don't have students in the district are especially wanted at these meetings, since the district's graduates eventually become members of the working world and the community.

The way the district is implementing its diversity initiatives ranks high with Mark Weiss, chairman of the district advisory committee, who will attend the meetings. Weiss said diversity consciousness is increasing inside classrooms and in the community, where it's also much needed.

``We're small, but we're continuing to grow and we need to be able to show respect for each other,'' Weiss said.

At the same time, Weiss said the district should expand its education for students to include more technical training for those who don't plan on attending universities upon graduation.

Tyler Johnstone agrees.

The UCLA student served as the student school board member last year for the district and will also attend these meetings to bring up that point. He said the district should review the classes offered and needs to re-emphasize its school-to-career program.

``The district is going on a different path right now, and I think that path needs to be re-evaluated,'' Johnstone said.

Johnstone said that although the district has adjusted to an explosion in enrollment that happened about 10 years ago, growth should remain on the radar. That way, the district will always be prepared for it.

Meetings will be held at 10 a.m., 3:30 and 7 p.m. on Jan. 17 in the West Ranch High School library; Jan. 18 at Placerita Junior High; and Jan. 19 at Sierra Vista Junior High.

Sue Doyle, [phone]

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com