Hawthorne Press Tribune The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - August 21, 2014 Airport Cadets Assist At-Risk LA Youth with School Supplies Los Angeles Airport Police Youth Cadets participated in the third annual Backpack School Supply Donation Drive hosted by the Youth Esteem Corporation (YEC). Together, the Youth Cadets, the Airport Police, and YEC provided school supplies for over 200 at-risk children in the Los Angeles area. Photo: Edwin Palacios. Inside This Issue Business Briefs...................7 Classifieds............................3 Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................5 Food.......................................8 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Legals............................4, 6-7 Police Reports.....................3 Sports................................ 4-5 Weekend Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy 77˚/64˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 77˚/64˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 77˚/64˚ Hawthorne Preps for Coming School Year By Dylan Little district, and the other districts in the JPA, The Hawthorne School Board held their have done with the extra revenue will be last meeting before the coming school year enough to show residents paying the parcel on August 13. The Board talked about the tax that it’s a worthwhile cause. In Hawthorne challenges facing them concerning the the extra revenue has been used to increase recently passed parcel tax. security and pay for more technology in While not an agenda item, Measure CL the classroom, while neighboring district has been on the Board’s mind as it and the Wiseburn Unified has used the funding to other members of the Measure CL Joint eliminate furlough days from their calendar. Powers Agreement (JPA) continue to defend “We’re doing good things with the money,” against a lawsuit. District superintendent said Morgan. “We’re providing technology Helen Morgan is optimistic that the JPA for our schools, we’re providing security. will triumph in court. Another issue the JPA There’s a lot of things we are doing.” is tackling is rate increases. Measure CL On the topic of security, Morgan announced includes the option of increasing the tax rate that the district is seeking an additional in line with cost of living: however, there is security officer to handle the responsibilities disagreement about how the process would of two officers who are taking a leave of work. The JPA assumed that any adjustments absence. Morgan said a security presence is would happen on an annual basis, but as something all Hawthorne’s schools should written, Measure CL allows for monthly enjoy, especially in the beginning of the adjustments that would make collection a school year when students are less familiar little more complicated. with the layout of their campus. Regardless of how the adjustments would “We don’t want any of our schools to not work, the JPA decided not to pursue them. have the additional support,” said Morgan. Board president Eugene Krank said that he “Especially at the beginning of the year when hopes to prove that the JPA has not only things are hectic because people can’t find the best interest of students in mind, but the their way around our schools. We want to interests of taxpayers as well. “I thought make sure we provide the same amount of it was a good move not to do that,” said support to our school sites.” Krank. “We want show the public that we The other opening will be covered by the don’t want to overtax them.” district’s roving security officer. Morgan said Morgan called the language on how to the officer-at-large has been a boon to the calculate increases “ambiguous” and agrees district. “We’ve really enjoyed the luxury that it’s too early in Measure CL’s life to look of having a roving security officer,” said at rate adjustments. “I strongly believe we Morgan. “She has been used very well this should not pass any increase,” said Morgan. year. She [can] step in so the schools don’t “I think the amount we told the public is the feel that there is somebody missing.” amount we should charge. I can foresee us The Board also postponed a plan to not implementing an increase in the future.” improve wireless networks in Hawthorne’s The Board is hopeful that what their schools. The district solicited proposals for tech upgrades, however there have been concerns that the E-Rate programs, which assists schools in funding these kinds of infrastructure upgrades, might not approve the expenditure. Morgan mentioned that the E-Rate program is in the midst of changes, so the Board might need to find an alternative way of funding the upgrades, which without E-Rate would be a huge chunk of the districts bottom line. “It’s a huge expense,” said Morgan. This doesn’t mean that students are stuck in the pre-internet dark ages. Hawthorne’s schools still have working Wi-Fi, it’s just less certain that the network will be up to the task of keeping up with increasingly digital classrooms. “We have Wi-Fi, this is just to make better Wi-Fi,” said Morgan. Lastly, the Board heard from Hawthorne student Sawyer Stein, who is seeking volunteers for a community cleanup in conjunction with Heal the Bay’s beach cleanup efforts. The event will be held on Saturday, September 20 at 9:00 a.m. starting at the Hawthorne Library. The Friends of the Hawthorne Library are also supporting the cleanup efforts by providing snacks, prizes and cleanup supplies. “Let’s clean up our community and show we love it,” said Stein. Stein’s mother, Dolce Stein, said the impetus for the community clean up idea wasn’t because she saw anything wrong with Hawthorne, but because she’d like to see all communities – including her own – doing their part to keep trash and toxins off California’s shores. She also saw this as a good way to stop trash because it winds up on the coast. “Why wait until it goes to the beach?” said Dolce Stein. “Our intention is to get the trash before it reaches the ocean.” •
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