Hollister School District trustees approved a memorandum of understanding at a recent meeting with a company and an academy to support a privately run math program.
The Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy is sponsored by Graniterock, a Hollister-based sand and gravel company, and provides a year-long algebra program to eighth graders living in San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. The heart of the program is a week-long immersion session in August, taught by professors from UC Santa Cruz and CSU Monterey Bay.
Elsa Rodriguez was absent from the May 24 meeting. The financial impact of this memorandum is up to $900 of the district’s general fund. That money covers the cost of buses and substitutes for two days so an algebra teacher can travel with the students on field trips.
The 2016-17 school year marks the academy’s third year of operation, according to background information in a board meeting agenda packet. The program includes field trips to UC Santa Cruz and Graniterock, or another local business. Next year’s program also includes a field trip to CSUMB and a graduation ceremony, according to the packet.
