For the second time before the upcoming election, candidates for the governing board overseeing the William S. Hart Union High School District spoke on some of the key issues that they are looking at.  The candidates — incumbents Linda Storli and Erin Wilson and challengers Aakash Ahuja and Gloria Mercado-Fortine — were participating in an “Engage the Vote” forum held last week at College of the Canyons and hosted by the college’s Center for Civic and Community Engagement.  Storli, currently the president of the governing board, is running for reelection to represent Trustee Area No. 1, and is being challenged by Mercado-Fortine and Ahuja. Wilson, appointed to the board last year, is running to keep her Trustee Area No. 4 seat and is being challenged by Eric Anderson, who was not present.  Aakash Ahuja, a candidate for the William S. Hart Union School District, participates in a forum for the College of the Canyons “Engage the Vote” event on Tuesday afternoon at the Intercultural Center on October 15, 2024. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. Moderating the forum were Patty Robinson, faculty director of civic and community engagement, and Leila Lemus, a political science student at the college.  All of the candidates said student achievement is what the district should be striving for, though how that happens is different for each one.  Ahuja, a strong proponent of mental health services and the parent of two kids in the district, said if the district can find ways to ease the stresses involved with being a student, then grades and test scores will improve. Limiting cell phone and social media usage were two of his main talking points throughout.  Gloria Mercado-Fortine, a candidate for the William S. Hart Union School District, speaks at a forum during the College of the Canyons “Engage the Vote” event on Tuesday afternoon at the Intercultural Center on October 15, 2024. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. “As you all know, after the pandemic, mental health concerns have gone up among the high school students, and I really want to tackle it hands-on,” Ahuja said. “Me being a psychiatrist, I’m in a very unique situation to help our kids with mental health stresses.”  Wilson focused on wanting to “educate, engage and elevate our entire community.” She said the Hart district is doing many things right, but with stronger partnerships, it can be even better.  “We have a lot of room to grow,” Wilson said. “I’d like to see improvements in literacy, in particular, and engagement. I want to see a stronger community. I think building healthy relationships is important for our students.”  Erin Wilson, board member for the William S. Hart Union School District, speaks at a candidate forum for College of the Canyons’ “Engage the Vote” event on Tuesday afternoon at the Intercultural Center on October 15, 2024. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. Mercado-Fortine, who was on the Hart school board for 16 years before losing her seat to Storli in 2015, also said partnerships are beneficial to a high-quality school district. She highlighted her work to get the school resource deputy program rolling as one of those partnerships, one that exists to this day.  She was formerly the president of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Foundation board of directors before stepping down earlier this year.  “Our students won’t be able to focus on learning unless they have a safe, healthy learning environment,” Mercado-Fortine said. “And so it is important to make sure that our campuses are safe and making sure that we have funding for our resource officers.”  Linda Storli, a board member for the William S. Hart Union School District, participates in a candidate forum on Tuesday afternoon for an “Engage the Vote” event hosted by College of the Canyons at its Intercultural Center on October 15, 2024. Trisha Anas/ The Signal. Maintaining a strong relationship with the local sheriff’s station was a point that Storli also emphasized. A teacher at Canyon High for 30 years before moving to the governing board, Storli said being financially responsible in the wake of a $68 billion state budget deficit, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, is paramount.  “I haven’t passed any bonds, but I’m also extremely frugal, so I appreciate the fact that we pass bonds and build things,” Storli said, adding that the Hart district historically gets funded less than other nearby districts to its lower population of students with needs (i.e. disabled, homeless or low-income).  Vote-by-mail ballots have been sent out and must be returned by mail with a postmark by Election Day on Nov. 5 to be counted. They must be received by the county’s election office no later than seven days after the election to be counted. Ballots can also be returned to an election center on Election Day by 8 p.m.   The post Hart school board candidates make their cases at forum  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.