Private Grants to Schools Scaled Back

A major private-sector investment in science, math and technology teaching in Saddleback Valley and Westminster public schools has been slowed this year as educators iron out plans to satisfy skeptical business leaders, a spokesman for investors said Monday.

Gary Kingsbury, executive director of the nonprofit Project Tomorrow consortium, said an expected investment of about $500,000 in each community’s schools this year has been cut to about half that total.

“We’re still moving forward, just more slowly than anticipated,” Kingsbury said.

Project Tomorrow announced in February that Saddleback Valley Unified School District in Mission Viejo and a partnership of Westminster School District and Westminster High School had won a countywide competition. Plans at the time called for an award of $1 million for each group.

So far, Saddleback Valley Unified has received $56,000, Supt. Peter A. Hartman said. He said he was not surprised by the delay. Westminster officials could not be reached.