Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 61, No. 27 - July 4, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............5
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
Classifieds............................3
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 4,6,7
Pets........................................8
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
70˚/62˚
Saturday
Partly
Cloudy
69˚/62˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
69˚/62˚
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
Young Hoopsters Get Started
This past Saturday was opening day for team play for the City of Hawthorne’s summer basketball program. Here, the young Clippers hope to swish a few shots while also learning the game.
Photo: City of Hawthorne
Wiseburn Board Doubles Up as
District Enjoys the Summer Break
By Duane Plank
Last week the Wiseburn School Board met
not only at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening, but
also gathered at 7:30 a.m. on Friday to address
various concerns. The Tuesday evening
meeting was bereft of special presentations.
Action items passed by the Board included
approval of a portable classroom to be installed
at Peter Burnett Elementary School;
the renewal of a contract with Wiseburn
Unified School District’s law firm to retain
services for the upcoming school year; an
agreement to continue working with Charter
School Management Corporation to continue
its support of the CALPADS program; an
agreement with All City Management Services
that will continue to provide the District with
three crossing guards who will work to ensure
student and employee safety on the streets;
and continuation of the agreement, now in its
fifth year, to have food service management
company Chartwells supply District meals.
Superintendent Dr. Blake Silvers noted
that the third crossing guard had been added
midway through the 2018/19 school year at
the corner of 135th Street and Isis, which he
termed “a big thoroughfare.” He said that
adding an additional crossing guard was a
“big plus for us,” noting it was the “best
option that we had.”
Personnel items approved on Tuesday
included a new job description for longtime
District administrator Dr. Mary Ring;
authorization for Julie Walker to become
the District Elementary Mental Health Clinician;
and a promotion for Juan de Anza
Elementary’s Susan Castellanos to ascend to
the position of school secretary.
Ring, whose new title is Assistant Superintendent
of Psychological and Student
Services, emailed that she “will continue to
work tirelessly as a cabinet member in both
Wiseburn and Da Vinci schools to aid at-risk
youth, build specialized programs, and support
staff and families.” Silvers effusively praised
the work of Ring and added, prior to the
meeting, that the experienced Castellano was
“a perfect fit for the job” at Anza Elementary.
The Friday morning meeting, which lasted
about an hour, featured the members passing
the District’s Local Control and Accountability
Plan (LCAP) as well as approving
the 2019/20 financial budget. The LCAP is a
revolving three-year plan that is state-mandated
to describe the goals, actions, services, and
expenditures to “support positive outcomes
that address state and local priorities.”
District Chief Business Official Dave Wilson
emailed about some of the highlights of
the 2018/19 school year, including that the
District will end up with a net increase to the
general fund; was able to provide a 2.5 percent
salary increase to certificated and classified
staff; invested in technology by spending
more than $200,000 in student devices,
teacher laptops and tech infrastructure; and
established a new special education program
-- the Success Learning Center -- that strives
to educate students who are not typically in
a traditional school setting.
Wilson spoke in detail to Board members
at the Friday morning meeting. He gave an
“in the weeds” presentation that was greatly
appreciated by the Board members, who are
tasked with increasing and spending District
funding. Wilson’s presentation took place the
day after freshman California Governor Gavin
Newsom signed off on his first California
budget, in which he earmarked more than
$103.4 billion be directed towards California
K-12 classrooms and programs. Wiseburn filed
a “positive certification” at both mandated
interim financial reports during the 2018/19
school year. That means that the District is
confident it will be able to meet its financial
obligations for the current and two subsequent
fiscal years.
Board members asked about the always
rising costs of District employee benefits packages,
with Wilson noting that more than 80
percent of the budget goes to “people costs,”
saying that “we are in the people business.”
Board members also were interested in receiving
more information about how the State
of California is prudently dealing with the
funding and costs of the benefits packages.
The members thanked Wilson for his work
putting together the budget package, calling
it a “great presentation.” Dr. Neil Goldman
termed the work done by Wilson as “phenomenal,”
with Board President JoAnne Kaneda
opining that the presentation was “awesome.”
Also passed Friday morning: a consultant’s
agreement with Jacqueline Jimenez to provide
the District with psychological services to
work with students at the Success Learning
Center; and the recommendation that the
District add 350 extra temporary hours to
split between instructional aides at the summer
Wiseburn Child Development Center
during their summer camps.
Prior to the Tuesday evening meeting,
Silvers, wrapping up his first year as the
superintendent, said, “I am lucky to be in
this position. We have a great staff, a great
teaching force, people who are committed, a
community that is super-driven by the right
things. They help me do the best I can for
kids.” Silvers continued, “Whatever decisions
are made, they are made in the best interests
of kids.” He added that the District has “real
good plans set up for next year.” He pointed
See Wiseburn, page 5