Robert Taylor

Robert P. Taylor has been appointed superintendent of Walnut Valley Unified School District. He will take over July 1 in the high-performing district that is facing a difficult fiscal future.

In December, the school board declared a “negative certification” for the district budget, meaning it may not be able to meet expenses next year.

Taylor, who has been deputy superintendent of Corona-Norco Unified

School District, will succeed Superintendent Dean S. Conklin, who is retiring next month after almost 15 years with Walnut Valley Unified.

The school district covers Walnut and parts of Diamond Bar.

“I’m going into a district that has a long, strong reputation for student achievement ” that puts kids first and produces high results in the classroom,” Taylor said.

“The budget has been a concern for districts across California. ” Hopefully, with the state economy, that’ll continue to improve, but it’s something we’ll all have to deal with.

Read more in TAYLOR. 

Hacienda La Puente Unified students came away with many medals in the Science Olympiad this year. In April, Mesa Robles Middle School took third in the Southern California State Science Olympiad competition in Anaheim. Earlier in the year, they came in second place overall out of 40 teams in the regional contest.

Grazide Elementary came in first overall out of 51 teams in the region, according to teacher Andrea Brown. Los Molinos and Los Altos Elementary Schools also won gold medals.

The district’s 22 schools did so well, that the school board held a special meeting at La Puente High School to recognize the students and their coaches.

Brown said the district had a total of 27 teams entered in this year’s Science Olympiad. Each team had 15 students and 2 alternates. Which meant, the district had almost 400 students involved in this year’s competition.

Read more in Rich Irwin’s story Olympiad 

Grazide Elementary came in first place overall in the Science Olympiad. (Photo courtesy of Grazide Elementary)

After evaluating the viability of what has quickly become a costly after-school enrichment program, La Puente city officials have decided to slash the club from a second area location.

The City Council in December eliminated its STARS after-school program at one of its three active sites, the La Puente Community Center, because of its dismal participation rates and increasing operational costs.

In an effort to further reduce expenses, city officials recently voted to cut the program at its Hurley Elementary in Rowland Unified site once the school semester is over.

Officials said the move will allow for the money the city spends to run the program to be used elsewhere in the community.

The money that “we’re spending is for a very small population,” Mayor Dan Holloway said. “We can use that money for (recreational) programs to serve for the entire community, whether through the community center or special events we have for youth. ”

The program’s third and largest site, Fairgrove Academy in Hacienda La Puente Unified, will remain open until other cost-effective options are available.

Read more in Juliette Funes story STAR.

Want to explore if the ACT or SAT is right for you? Kaplan Test Prep will hold an ACT/SAT practice test on Saturday, April 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Rowland Heights Library.

The test will have a sample of both tests. The results of the tests will be explained by a representative from KAPLAN on Tuesday, April 23, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Bring two No. 2 pencils and a calculator to the program. Sign-up at the information desk.
The library is at 1850 Nogales St. For information, call 626-912-5348.

Being stranded at the Los Angeles International Airport wasn’t a part of the educational trip to Washington that 27 local eighth-graders spent weeks talking about.

The 12-year-olds planned to lift off for Dulles International Airport at 9:02 a.m. Monday, but American Airlines overbooked the flight. Frank Loya, principal of St. Benedict School in Montebello, said he and the students were disappointed.

“When we got to the gate, they overbooked the plane, and they wanted me to split some of my students,” Loya told KTLA 5.

But Loya said he refused to leave six students behind, especially since the group would have to pay full price for six more tickets, reported KTLA 5.

Mary Frances Fagan, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, said the airline is working with the group leader to figure out how to get everyone to northern Virginia.

“Unfortunately we were unable to accommodate a group of passengers flying from L.A. to Washington, Dulles, this morning,” Fagan said. “We have worked with the group leader and determined the best way to transport the group to Northern Virginia. ”

Flight 76 left without any of St. Benedict School’s students or staff. Preliminary plans said the students might fly to Dallas Monday night and get to D.C. by Tuesday afternoon, reported KTLA 5.