Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 60, No. 44 - November 1, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
Classifieds............................3
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................5
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 4,6,7
Pets........................................5
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Sunny
73˚/61˚
Saturday
Sunny
72˚/62˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
75˚/61˚
The Weekly Newspaper of Hawthorne
Shadbehr Hosts Event on
Hawthorne Blvd. Improvements
City Manager and Public Works Director Arnie Shadbehr (in front in orange and yellow) held an event on Oct. 23 to review the progress made on the Hawthorne Boulevard Improvement Project funded
by Measure R. This project will improve Hawthorne Boulevard, north of El Segundo Boulevard to north of Imperial Highway and will include: repaving of asphalt, traffic signal upgrades, installation of a
new traffic signal at 126th Street, extension of bike lane to Imperial, ADA ramps improvements, sewer relocation, and adjustment of utilities.
Wiseburn Board Gets Dashboard
Update, Aquatics Center Numbers
By Duane Plank
Last Thursday evening, the Wiseburn Unified
School District was privy to one special presentation
regarding the mandated implementation
of the California Dashboard Local Indicator
Report, which attempts to give accountability
to how districts track continuous improvement.
It also provides information about how local
educational agencies and schools are meeting
the needs of the state’s diverse student population,
based on a “concise set of measures.”
The Dashboard is in year two of utilization
and is considered an efficient way of reviewing
the performance of school districts by
displaying state and local measures to assist
in identifying strengths, challenges and areas
in need of improvement.
District Assistant Superintendent, Educational
Services Dr. Aileen Harbeck’s presentation,
required to be reported to the Board at this
time in the school year, featured seven local
indicators of how Wiseburn serves student
needs. Speaking of implementing the data culled
from the Dashboard, Superintendent Dr. Blake
Silvers had said that “what we are trying to
do is to figure out where our gaps are, figure
out which areas are strengths, which areas are
challenges. We are doing a lot of work right
now. The teachers are working hard -- working
on certain curricular issues that we have.”
Harbeck said that surveys were taken by
leadership teams at each District campus to help
with the acquisition of the required Dashboard
information. Said Superintendent Silvers: “We
are responding to areas that we need to help
support…including principal work groups, to
provide and strengthen goals for the year, with
the idea of promoting continuous improvement.”
He emphasized that from the District
to the site level, the Dashboard is utilized as
the framework, but is not the “nitty gritty” of
the numbers.
Harbeck summed up the presentation, noting
that the review of local indicators “points up
a continued focus on initiatives that promote
student safety and learning as well as the continuing
need to promote parent participation
and student connectedness on all campuses.”
Board comments were brief, with members
Roger Banuelos and Nelson Martinez unable
to attend. Dr. Neil Goldman mentioned that
he planned to make school site visits, a sentiment
echoed by member Israel Mora. Board
President JoAnne Kaneda said that no news is
good news, because that meant there was no
bad news, adding, “Everything is going well,
and I appreciate the efforts on everyone’s part.”
Chief Business Official David Wilson reported
that the new Aquatics Center is tracking
to come in under budget. Post-meeting, he
emailed that the numbers were as follows:
Wiseburn had pledged to invest up to $6 million
and approximately two acres of land; the City
of El Segundo pledged $1.8 million; the group
South Bay Sports and Health and Recreation
were pledging up to $6 million; and El Segundo
Unified School District also pledged significant
financial support towards the joint project.
Director of Facilities Planning Vince Madsen,
who had his contract extended until the middle
of November, made his report and gave kudos
to City of El Segundo officials for helping bring
the Aquatics Center project come to fruition
and talked about the moving parts that have
been fine-tuned to parry down the stakeholder
costs. “We believe that we are going to come
in under budget,” Madsen said. He added, “We
did something that no one has done in California”
and did so with “really good numbers.”
Goldman had noted how Wiseburn was responsible
for implementing financial resources
for the Aquatics Center. “What this means,
for the community, is our commitment was
$6 million, and our highest priority was to be
fiscally prudent,” he said.
Madsen next reported that construction is
moving forward as the District works to get
the pool, gymnasium and turf field online.
He noted health department approvals being
sought, the installation of final accessories
surrounding the pool, and ramping up facility
landscaping -- as well as the Nov. 15 date for
the beginning of the project architect “punch
list,” which is a document that is prepared near
the end of a construction project listing work
not conforming to project specifications that
the general contractor must complete before
receiving final payment. Emailed Madsen after
the meeting: “We are very hopeful to have City
staff onsite Nov.15 for equipment training, staff
orientation trainings and other prep activities
getting ready for the opening of the pool.”
In his comments, Silvers talked about safety
and traffic challenges as students enter and exit
the new Wiseburn High School. Madsen added
that the District is working with the City of El
Segundo to develop plans to increase safety
around school sites. Silvers also spoke about
revamping Wiseburn’s website saying. “We
are pretty much there, almost at 100 percent,”
he said. He also mentioned that the District
was conducting interviews with master plan
specialists as it forges ahead in developing
the document. He said he was confident that
whatever group is selected would engage with
the community, seeking their input. Prior to the
meeting, Silvers expressed that he is eagerly
awaiting the opening of the sports complex, with
the crown jewel being the gymnasium facilities
that could possibly debut in December. “The
gym is just such an unbelievable structure,”
he said. It is just beautiful.”
The Oct. 25 meeting was the final regularly
scheduled session prior to the Nov. 6 mid-term
elections, which should prove to be a low-key
affair in Wiseburn. The District floated a $29
million bond ask in June, but the measure did
not receive the necessary 55 percent of yes
votes. And while three School Board seats are
up for election (Mora, Banuelos and Martinez),
the incumbents are running unopposed for
their next terms.
The next regularly scheduled Wiseburn School
Board meeting is set for the open session to
commence at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15. •