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Hawaiian Gardens council approves $5,000 donation for Hawaiian Elementary STEM field trips
Summary
The Hawaiian Gardens City Council voted unanimously to approve a $5,000 donation to Hawaiian Elementary School to fund STEM field trips for students from kindergarten through sixth grade. A council member also asked staff to review the city's policy on school donations.
The Hawaiian Gardens City Council on April 2025 approved a $5,000 donation to Hawaiian Elementary School to fund STEM-themed field trips for kindergarten through sixth-grade students.
The donation was presented to the council by Ms. Perez, principal of Hawaiian Elementary School, who provided a written request and said the funds would allow the school's STEM magnet program to take students on real-world science, technology, engineering and math outings that align with the school's AVID and college-preparation initiatives. "We are a STEM magnet school," Ms. Perez told the council, "and we want to really take what's happening in the classroom and give students real life experiences."
Council members moved and seconded approval of the donation. The motion passed unanimously: Council Member Roa — yes; Mayor Pro Tem Del Rio — yes; Mayor De Pala — yes.
The council did not ask for further details before voting. The donation was described in the request letter as a single $5,000 allocation; the council recorded the amount on the motion and confirmed the full $5,000 would be approved.
Separately during the meeting, a council member asked staff to review the city's policy on school donations so the council could consider whether to set an allocation or standardized process for future requests. That request was made during the oral reports portion of the agenda and was presented as direction for staff to research; no formal policy change or allocation was adopted at the meeting.
Why it matters: The funding will directly support Hawaiian Elementary's STEM magnet activities, which council members and district officials said are intended to supplement classroom instruction and expose students to career and college pathways.
Votes at a glance: - Donation to Hawaiian Elementary School for STEM field trips — Motion to approve $5,000; mover and seconder not explicitly named in the public transcript; vote 3-0; outcome: approved. - Motion to adopt the agenda as presented (agenda organization) — motion and second recorded; vote 3-0; outcome: approved. - Consent calendar — motion to approve consent calendar as presented; vote 3-0; outcome: approved.
The council did not set a date for disbursement in the meeting record; staff follow-up was implied by the school representative's offer to provide additional information to city staff at adjournment.
