Hacienda La Puente Unified School District’s Board of Education celebrated the completion of several Measure BB-funded classroom modernization projects and approved a new funding strategy to resume construction and planning for the remaining District campuses during the Special Board Meeting on Oct. 21 and continuance meeting on Oct. 26. Modernization projects are divided into nine phases that encompass every school in the District. After completing all projects in phases one and two, the District will further outline the plan for completing the last seven phases.
Hacienda La Puente Unified’s elementary and middle schools have been listed among the top performing public schools in California, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best K-8 Schools rankings. Nine Hacienda La Puente schools ranked in the top 20 percent of schools. Los Molinos Elementary School and Wedgeworth Elementary School rank in the top 5 percent and Mesa Robles Middle School earned a spot in the top 4 percent. The inaugural K-8 rankings are based on student proficiency and performance in mathematics and reading.
Hacienda La Puente Unified students, teachers and staff are benefiting from a number of facility improvements during the 2021-22 school year, which include modernized classrooms, new interior paint, roofing restorations and the installation of solar panels. Many of the upgrades were completed over the summer, ensuring students and employees returned to refreshed classrooms on modernized campuses. Such projects include the installation of solar panel parking lot canopies at Los Altos High School, Workman High School, Wilson High School, La Puente High School, Willow Adult School and the District Office; locker upgrades at La Puente High School; new interior paint at Valley High School and Orange Grove Middle School; roofing restorations at Newton Middle School and Workman Elementary School; and the installation of new ceiling tiles and lighting at Sunset Elementary School.
Hacienda La Puente Unified has named Manoj Roychowdhury as its new Associate Superintendent of Business Services. Roychowdhury brings more than 20 years of fiscal leadership experience in K-12 education to the District, with a proven track record of strong business and financial acumen, overseeing implementation of academic programs and initiatives to boost student achievement at school districts throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. Roychowdhury will provide districtwide leadership and assume oversight of administration services, focusing on District budget, services, and facilities.