Hartnell gets $11 million

When Congressman Sam Farr sent us notice that Central Coast colleges were getting nearly $5 million in grants, we didn't know at least one of the grants was for five years. In fact, Hartnell's getting more than $2 million for five years -- nearly $11 million.

On Tuesday, at the first joint meeting in recent history of trustees for Hartnell and Salinas Union high, the mood was definitely giddy. Administrators and teachers had just received notice of the grant -- which will serve to help Latino students enroll in careers in science and math -- and they were celebrating. High fives, hugs, bonhomie all around.

Then they got down to business. The meeting was about learning ways in which the school district is coordinating efforts with the college to make sure students have a smooth transition from K-12 to higher ed. Turns out they're doing plenty -- although efforts are not always well advertised or understood.

Latinos, one of the fastest growing groups in the country, are underrepresented in math and science-based careers, and this grant is aimed at addressing that gap. Hartnell is already doing a lot of work to encourage Latinos to get into the sciences, so it'll be interesting to see how these funds further those efforts.