The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Daily News on a Weekly Basis - Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - February 15, 2018
Kelso Kids Show Science Skills
Earlier this month, Inglewood District 1 Councilman George Dotson stopped by Kelso Elementary to take a look at what our future scientists cooked up for the Kelso Elementary School Science Fair. There
were some really cool experiments on display! Photo Courtesy of City of Inglewood
Protesters Upset About District Cuts Clog
the Grounds at School Board Meeting
By Haleemon Anderson
Inglewood Unified School District headquarters
were roiled by protests once again,
as union representatives commandeered the
corner of Inglewood and Kelso, chanting and
waving signs calling for an end to cuts and a
fair settlement on employee benefits. Inside the
meeting, Inglewood School Board members
heard staff reports on voter redistricting, the
Dashboard accountability systems, and a plan to
lease excess real property owned by the District.
District Chief Business Officer Eugenio Villa
detailed the parcels of land that include portions
at Monroe Middle, Oak Street and Morningside
schools. The old Warren Lane site is on the
list, as well as a District-owned maintenance
facility site at North Edgewood. A property at
107th and Yukon is proposed for lease or sale.
The most sweeping recommendation involves
leasing Woodworth School entirely and merging
that campus’s operations with Monroe.
Villa said the measures are being explored
as a response to the District’s fiscal challenges
and declining enrollment. “We are maintaining
very large facilities,” said Villa. Though sized for
12,000 students, current enrollment is just 8,600.
Board President Carliss McGhee asked if the
Old Warren Lane site was in current use. Villa
said it houses the Southwest special education
program -- a charter school. McGhee took
exception to athletic fields being considered
for disposal. Odest Riley, an Inglewood native
and member of the advisory board, said the
recommendations are just that and must go
through due process before a final decision is
made. The report was received and filed.
Dr. Carmen Beck, chief academic officer,
reported on Dashboard and the state
accountability system. The data-gathering
platform aggregates information on academic
achievement, absenteeism and suspension rates,
as well as data on specific student populations.
Homelessness, mental and physical disabilities
and other behavioral traits are also tracked across
schools and socioeconomic groups. Beck said
two-thirds of the district is eligible to receive
resources from the state for differentiated
instruction, in the form of guidance and critical
partnerships.
A representative from National Demographics
Corporation reported on the timeline for resequencing
elections. A fourth public hearing
is set for March 7. The fifth and final public
input will take place the same day, or on March
14 when the resolution is set for adoption. The
change will transition elections from at-large
to district-based, and bring Inglewood Unified
in line with the California Voter Protection
Act. The change is also intended to increase
voter turnout.
Meanwhile, public comments reflected the
unrest outside. Physical education teacher Y.
Gurse railed that the proposed lease-off at
Morningside would take away several fields
and open areas used for P.E. classes.
Union representative Chris Graeber said the
District’s cost-saving measures will hurt families.
A list of cuts, available with the meeting agenda,
included decreasing department budgets by 20
percent; capping family medical benefits for
management at $9,400; and slashing positions
at all levels of operation. “This is not familyoriented,”
said Graeber. “People are leaving in
droves to find health insurance. It’s unacceptable
that we are the lowest common denominator.”
Graeber and other protesters responded
to projected cuts for the next school year.
A “fact sheet” noted “difficult but necessary
concessions” proposed to the Inglewood
Teachers Association for the 2018-19 budget.
Savings from the concessions were listed at
“approximately $4 million.”
“We didn’t do this,” added Graeber, referring
to the well-known $8 million shortfall projected
by next year. “Your solution is cut and bleed.
We are not in a better place.”
The chair of the ITA-PAC also spoke to the
effects of projected cuts. “Who is to bear the
brunt?” he asked, before launching into an
impromptu calendar of the District’s financial
decline that started back in 2008 with declining
enrollment. “In 2010, we had the furloughs. In
2012,” we took a 25 percent cut in pay. Now in
2018, you propose a 40 percent cut in benefits?”
Abu Ngissah, president of the ITA, said,
“Tell the state no to cuts…” She noted that
educators are rising up after years of neglect.
“Administrators are getting raises year after year.”
The Inglewood School Board meets once
monthly. The next meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, March 7, at 5:30 p.m. at 401 S.
Inglewood Ave., in the Dr. Ernest Shaw Board
Room. •
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Professionals.......................5
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Hawthorne Happenings....3
Legals............................2, 6-7
Pets........................................8
Politically Speaking............4
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Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
70˚/50˚
Saturday
Sunny
70˚/52˚
Sunday
Sunny
63˚/51˚
Protesters carry signs outside of Inglewood Unified headquarters.