Adolescents face a number of challenges when navigating life in high school. There’s the pressure of achieving high grades, while simultaneously filling up their afternoons with sports or other extracurricular activities to have a better chance of getting into their dream college.
But for Tara Brown, assistant superintendent of student services in the William S. Hart Union High School District, student success begins before they walk through the halls of school.
“Do they have what they need to eat? Do they have what they need to wear to school?” She said. Those questions are at the core of student success and the reason she was recently recognized for her work in expanding wellness and support services.
The Hart district serves approximately 21,000 students in grades seven through 12 in the Santa Clarita Valley, according to the district’s website, and making sure each student is succeeding in the classroom can be difficult, but not impossible.
Brown was recently honored by the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators in collaboration with the Association of California School Administrators with the Prestigious Outstanding Leadership in Education Award.
She was selected for her “transformative work in holistic student support and her dedication to breaking down barriers for underrepresented communities,” a district news release stated. “Her leadership has been instrumental in redefining the district’s approach to student well-being.”
“Tara’s vision ensures that our students are supported not just academically, but emotionally and socially,” Superintendent Michael Vierra said in the release. “This award is a testament to her heart for service and desire to champion every student in our district.”
The award recognizes administrators who exemplify the highest standards of professional ethics and who have made significant contributions to the field of education through innovative programs and community-focused leadership, the release added.
Brown, who has only been with the district since 2024, said that receiving the recognition was something she never expected. She is also unaware of who nominated her, but was honored, nonetheless.
“I do it (the work) because that’s what is in my heart. I just really want students to have everything they need to succeed. A lot of times that comes before what you see when they get in the classroom. It starts when they are waking up in the morning,” Brown said during a recent phone interview with The Signal.
“Do they have a way to school? Are things going on in their mind in the morning that are worrying them?” Brown said. “All those backlog foundational pieces that a lot of folks don’t think about when they think about academic achievement.”
Academics and test scores are important, but the needs of a student before they arrive at the classroom are just as important, she said.
“I’ve been a part of that work where students can feel safe and supported, so that they can be engaged and they can be motivated to learn. That is my heart,” she said.
Brown didn’t initially see herself working in education. She wanted to pursue nursing but throughout her life she had moments where she worked with children, gradually guiding her toward that path.
Her roommate at The Master’s University who was pursuing education really inspired her to take that leap. “I’m 33 and a half years in now, and never regretted it,” Brown said.
She started off her educational career like many others, teaching children. She worked with the Lancaster School District in the Antelope Valley but after losing one of her three children to cancer, Brown and the rest of her family relocated to the Santa Clarita Valley.
She began her new chapter at the Santa Monica-Malibu School District where she climbed her way up to the level of principal and then held the position of director of student services for a decade.
“I really felt like I made a difference in two different environments,” Brown said, but something was missing for her. Brown’s son and daughter grew up attending Hart district schools and the idea of herworking in the very same valley where she grew up going to college seemed like the perfect change.
“I felt like I had come back home,” Brown said. “Coming back to this district was like an exhale, you know, I’m happy and I know and love this community.”
When she began to work with the district she didn’t see things that needed to be changed because there were many things already working well for the Hart community, but Brown wanted to continue to support the mission of lowering rates of suspension, which kept students away from their learning, she said.
In the Hart district’s mid-year report of the Local Control Accountability Plan given in February, the number of suspensions was reported at 525 for 2025, which was a decrease to the reported 726 in 2023. There were 27 reported expulsions in 2023 and in 2025 there were eight.
“Teens go through a lot in high school. High school is not easy,” Brown said. “I like to get behind and try to find out the underlying cause of the behavior and try and work with that so we can keep them in school.” She added that the success in the work wouldn’t be possible without her colleagues who she’s learned a lot from, and their expertise.
Brown’s role in the Hart district isn’t directly speaking with a large crowd of students, but to remind herself of the “why” to her work, she makes time to attend school campus events to engage with them.
“I learn from them every day. I’m inspired by them, and they motivate me,” she said about the students. “They’re so smart and imaginative and motivated, enthusiastic and inspiring … If I can just support a student and inspire a student, I want them to know that they can do whatever it is they want to do in their life.”
