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Santa Paula Unified approves LeapLab contract and multiple after‑school service agreements
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Summary
The school board approved a $279,000 LeapLab contract for STEM after‑school programming and approved service agreements with the Santa Paula Art Museum ($250,000), Boys & Girls Club ($374,000) and a city youth sports agreement (not to exceed $295,000). Funding sources and a trustee recusal were noted.
The Santa Paula Unified School District board on March 11 approved a slate of after‑school service agreements, including a $279,000 contract with LeapLab for science, technology, engineering and math enrichment.
Superintendent’s office staff summarized a LeapLab service agreement that expands NGSS‑aligned, hands‑on lessons across district elementary sites; the board then voted to approve the contract. LeapLab’s executive director, Marcus Ericsson, described in the public presentation how the program serves several schools and integrates mentors and hands‑on investigations to boost student engagement.
The board also approved a $250,000 service agreement with the Santa Paula Art Museum to run the Aspire arts program at multiple elementary sites. Gabriel Islas, the museum’s curator of creativity, told trustees the museum serves roughly 630 Aspire students across six school sites this year and invited trustees to an exhibit of student work on March 26. One trustee announced a recusal from the museum vote on account of a treasurer role at a local museum; the vote later recorded one abstention in the board tally.
Additional after‑school contracts approved included a $374,000 agreement with the Boys & Girls Club to run culinary programming (the administration said the increase reflects higher food and supply costs and greater enrollment) and a city partnership for youth sports with a not‑to‑exceed amount of $295,000. The city agreement was discussed with transparency about a board member’s partial recusal because of a familial connection to the city council.
Board members and program directors also discussed funding sources: administrators said some programming is funded from the district’s Extra Learning Opportunities grant and that Proposition 28 (arts funding) can cover a portion of non‑salary costs within statutory limits. Trustees asked staff to continue aligning after‑school curricula with classroom academic standards and career‑technical education pathways.
The approvals will allow the district to continue these partner programs into the next school year; the board recorded motions, seconds and votes for each contract during the meeting.
