SCHOOL BOARDS WILL MEET, DISCUSS CONSTRUCTION FEE.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

The school boards for the Saugus and Hart districts, where most of the valley's home construction is in progress, will meet tonight to address a proposed fee to pay for new roads and bridges.

The concern is that local school districts would have to pay the fees when they buy land on which to build schools. The school districts' legal counsel will be on hand during the closed session board meeting to explain the potential ramifications of the proposed fees.

``If it does (apply to the school districts), we will be paying a huge chunk of money to build schools,'' said Hart district board member Patricia Hanrion. ``Our school sites are usually 40 acres for a high school and 20 acres for a junior high.''

Last month, the Santa Clarita City Council approved the creation of the Valencia bridge and major thoroughfare construction fee district. Under the proposal, developers would pay the fee to cover the cost of road building and freeway improvements that would be needed to accommodate the new homes and businesses.

The William S. Hart Union High School District has plans to build four schools in the next five years: Rio Norte Junior High in Valencia, Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita, and Rancho Pico Junior High and West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch.

Now under construction in the Saugus Union School District is North Park Elementary in Valencia, and another school is on the drawing board in the planned Bridgeport housing tract in Valencia.

The construction fee district would cover land within the Santa Clarita city limits and in bordering county territory. The matter also must be approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The Newhall Land and Farming Company is the largest landholder in the proposed fee district, owning more than 70 percent of the developable land. Other residential and commercial projects, including Tesoro del Valle and the former Lockheed site in Rye Canyon, also would be affected by the new fee.

Under the proposal approved by the City Council, developers would pay $9,787 per development unit toward an estimated $118 million in projects. The funds collected would be used to widen McBean Parkway, Copper Hill Drive, Valencia Boulevard and Newhall Ranch Road, along with other projects.

The Hart and Saugus school boards' closed session begins at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at Mountainview Elementary School, 22201 Cypress Place. Afterward, the Saugus school board will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m.

It wasn't clear whether it was an intent or an oversight that the fee district could apply to the public schools, Saugus school board member Judy Umeck said.

``We're trying so hard to house our children. To have something come along and take out of our funding would be devastating,'' Umeck said. ``We're running a nonprofit entity here - it's a public service.''