EL SEGUNDO HERALD June 18, 2020 Page 3
Dr. Jeanie Nishime Helms
the ESUSD School Board During Unprecedented Times
Notice of Availability
Draft Environmental Assessment for
Proposed Space and Missile Park
Los Angeles Air Force Base
The 61st Air Base Group announces the availability of a Draft Environmental
Assessment (EA) for the proposed Space and Missile Park at Los Angeles Air Force
Base. Implementation of the Proposed Action would include the development of a
park functioning as an educational development and ensuring the preservation of
important representative artifacts documenting the Space and Missile Systems
Center’s history. The proposed park would also serve as a gathering place for SMC
personnel and visitors to enjoy the outdoors, improving morale and welfare at the
base. While several details such as a complete inventory and orientation of static
displays are still under development, the conceptual designs for the proposed park
call for up to six artifacts displayed in either vertical or horizontal alignment. Each
static display – including required concrete foundations – would be engineered
individually based on the specific artifact to be installed. Each of the static displays
would feature informational plaques and educational signage. There would be
two formal entrances to the park – one of which would be compliant with the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) – and there would be several seating
areas, with shade trees intended to provide inviting areas for congregation.
Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations and in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this draft EA serves as a concise
public document that provides evidence and analysis for determining whether a
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate or an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) should be prepared. The draft EA presents the purpose and need
for the action, the proposed action and alternatives, a description of the affected
environment, and an analysis of environmental consequences. It also documents
cumulative impacts from projects which are proposed, under construction, recently
completed, or anticipated to be implemented in the near future. No significant
environmental impacts have been identified in the raft EA.
The public is invited to review and make comments on the draft EA, which is available
at the online at www.losangeles.af.mil. Comments must be received no later than
June 30, 2020. The public may submit written comments to the address below:
Mr. Joshua Jones, 61 CELS Environmental
482 N Aviation Blvd.
El Segundo, CA 90245
Email: 61cels.environmental@us.af.mil
By Duane Plank
When Dr. Jeanie Nishime took over the
reins as the new El Segundo Unified School
District School Board President late last year,
the District was on an upward trajectory. El
Segundo voters had passed a $92-million
general obligation bond in November of 2018,
and that funding was going to be front-andcenter
as the ESUSD began accelerating the
implementation of its Long-Range-Facilities-
Master Plan
The District was reaping the benefits of
the 2016 sale of the surplus Imperial Street
School which garnered more than $22 million
for District coffers.
Then, the pandemic COVID-19 virus that
would decimate and shut-down much of the
world was nowhere in sight. Then the killer
coronavirus hit America, and the world as we
knew it was thrown into tumult.
Classroom education was shut down in
mid-March, with educators, students, and
parents scrambling to implement distance
learning. Nishime said that the District’s distance
learning program is progressing about
as well as expected, noting that the ESUSD
had presciently implemented a 1-to-1 iPad
initiative at both the high school and middle
school as introducing Chromebooks at the
elementary level. All this made it easier for
the ESUSD to hit the ground running when
the mandated shelter in place orders came
down from Sacramento. With many teachers,
students, parents, and administrators educating
on the run, Nishime said the District would be
implementing “changes for the fall to address
the deficiencies we experienced this spring.”
Nishime has been an El Segundo resident
since 2007. Her more than 30 years in education,
mainly at the community college level,
included stints at Fullerton, Riverside and
Pasadena city colleges. She also served for
ten years as the vice president for student and
community advancement at El Camino College.
Nishime, born and raised in Japan, received
a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Point
Loma College in San Diego, Master of Science
in counseling from Cal State Long Beach,
and Ed. D in institutional management from
Pepperdine University.
She said she was encouraged to run for an
open seat on the El Segundo school board
in 2011 by Dr. Ray Gen, who was on the
El Camino school board at the time and is
currently the English department chair at El
Segundo High School.
Nishime did not know
what she was signing
up for. “I was so naïve,”
she said but figured that
with a lessened commute
time with her landing the
El Camino job, she had
more time to give back
to the El Segundo community.
Nishime said
that her previous jobs
involved arduous, timeconsuming
commutes.
“When I first moved (to
El Segundo), it was the
first time that I lived and
worked in the same community.”
Husband Spence Bauer served as
her campaign manager, and Nishime became
immersed in political campaigning, seeking
resident endorsements, knocking on voters’
doors, and distributing lawn signs. Six weeks
later, she was elected to a four-year term on
the ESUSD school board.
The school board has been meeting virtually
since mid-March, which, Nishime said, has
worked out well, considering the circumstances.
She said she has heard “horror stories” from
other South Bay school board presidents about
tech glitches that have plagued their meetings,
but the ESUSD has been able, for the most
part, to navigate the technology highway. She
said that she misses the “comradeship” of
seeing her fellow board members in person,
and laments that the final graduation and
promotion ceremonies that she will attend as
a member of the ESUSD will have to take
place in a virtual format.
Nishime said that now more than ever, the
District is steadfast in adhering to accomplishing
their goals for the upcoming school years.
Those goals include ensuring high-quality
learning; promoting the social well-being of all
students; recruiting and retaining high-quality
employees; promoting parental and community
engagement; and maintaining fiscal health
while focusing on school safety.
Those goals, Nishime
said, “have taken-on new a
whole new meeting in light
of this pandemic,” noting
an expected 3-million dollar
hit to the District budget
for the next school year.
ESUSD Superintendent
Dr. Melissa Moore touts
the leadership of Nishime,
emailing that Nishime
“possessed not only a
wealth of educational
knowledge and expertise
but also her thoughtful
consideration in examining
the issues. Her intelligence,
compassion, and
pragmatic approach have contributed to the
school district’s tremendous success with student
achievement and social-emotional well-being
of students during her tenure.”
Board member Nancy Cobb, who has decided
not to seek reelection in the fall, said that she
enjoys collaborating with Nishime, calling her
a “dedicated professional who brings years
of relevant experience to the job. She acts in
the best interest of our students. Cares about
their academic success, safety, and well-being,
and never lost sight of the big picture,” Cobb
emailed, “including maintaining an excellent
staff, communicating with parents, and the
larger community, and ensuring the financial
well-being of our school district. She listens to
all opinions, asks relevant questions, and seeks
solutions. Most importantly, for the COVID-19
era, she stays calm in a crisis.”
Asked to gaze into her crystal ball and
posit on how education will evolve, when the
students hopefully return to the classrooms on
Aug. 26, Nishime said that she foresees an
educational system that will involve a hybrid
learning model, including classroom and distance
learning, with student and worker safety
paramount. “The big disruptor,” she said, “will,
of course, be the state budget. The budget is
brutal…but knowing this District, we will make
sure that any cuts are kept as far as possible
from the classroom.” She said that currently,
District administrators are looking at employee
attrition as opposed to lay-offs to tighten their
financial belts.
Nishime, who has announced that she will
not seek reelection to the Board on Nov. 3,
is looking forward to “full-retirement” mode.
She loves to travel, which she has done extensively
in Europe and Asia, fostering a great
interest in culture and international education,
and looks forward to spending to spend more
time with her kids, and hopefully, she said,
possible grandkids, as well as focusing on her
church activities.
But until her retirement, Nishime will continue
to steadily guide the El Segundo school
board through these unprecedented times. •
School Spotlight
Dr. Jeanie Nishime
The El Segundo Herald
wants to sincerely thank
all the advertisers that are sticking
with us, during this difficult time.
XOXO
XOXO
XOXO
XOXO