Inglewood News AND LENNOX CITIZEN The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - August 6, 2015 South Bay MAMBAS Win Two Gold Medals at California State Games The South Bay MAMBAS 9u Basketball Club brought home two gold and one silver Medal from the California State Games in San Diego July 17-19. Coached by Brandan Aldridge and Jesse Gutierrez, the MAMBAS are proud representatives of the South Bay, as all the players reside in Inglewood, Lawndale, Redondo Beach, Gardena, El Segundo and Torrance. The MAMBAS qualified to represent California in the National Games in Nebraska. The MAMBAS are supported by Chick Fil A(182nd/Hawthorne) and the El Segundo Rotary Club. Photo courtesy of South Bay MAMBAS. Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................4 Classifieds............................3 Film Review..........................2 Finance..................................7 Food.......................................5 Hawthorne Happenings....2 Legals............................... 6, 7 Pets........................................8 Police Reports.....................4 Sports....................................3 Weekend Forecast Friday Partly Cloudy 75˚/64˚ Saturday Sunny 74˚/63˚ Sunday Sunny 75˚/64˚ State-Appointed Trustee Announces Retirement, Will Step Down as ISUD Superintendent By Cristian Vasquez During a July board meeting, Inglewood Unified School District State Trustee Dr. Don Brann announced his retirement. While details behind his retirement have been not been shared, the efforts to find a replacement continue with the hopes of having a qualified person leading the district soon. “Don Brann brought his enthusiasm and experience to the district at a time of great challenges, and set it on course to return to local control by balancing the budget,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said via a written statement. “We thank him for his leadership and wish him the best in his retirement.” In July 2013 Dr. Brann was appointed as the state trustee by State Superintendent Torlakson and took over for the state’s first appointee, Kent Taylor. Taylor was assigned to the position after the state took over the district during September 2012, through legislation passed at the request of the district. The state takeover included a $55 million emergency state loan in order to help the then bankrupt district and placed control of the city’s schools in the state’s hands. However, Taylor resigned less than three months after being appointed, leaving interim administrator LaTanya Kirk-Carter at the helm of the struggling district until Dr. Brann took over. “Thanks to the work of interim State Trustee [LaTanya Kirk-Carter] and the current State Trustee [Dr. Don Brann] and staff and a reengineering of the State funding allocation that favors districts such as ours,” Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts wrote in his Mayor’s Message on the city website. “The IUSD budget is projected to be balanced for the upcoming school year. While that projection is good news, there is so much that needs to be done and it is critical that the next leader chosen to head the IUSD not only has a proven track record in budget and academia, but additionally is capable of communicating and leading in a multi-cultural environment.” There has not been a timeline established as to when Dr. Brann will leave the district. However, he will continue with the district until a replacement is found. “As a major stakeholder in the outcome of the District, the Union request a major role in the selection of the next State Trustee,” Christopher Graeber, Field Representative for the California Professional Employees, said. “Our members work and live in Inglewood and we need to be heard regarding this process.” Our members and the community felt the major impact when the last two Trustees made major cuts to the safety and cleanliness of the District.” Dr. Brann’s contract does not expire until June 2017; however, during his two years at the helms of IUSD Dr. Brann was able to fix the structural deficit, which crippled the district for years and led it to bankruptcy. “While few held hope that this day would come – especially so soon – my team found a path to follow and balanced the budget,” Dr. Brann said during a June board meeting. “We have remained focused not on past practices, but on making improvements today and building a better tomorrow.” Part of the challenge faced by Dr. Brann was finding ways for the district to save money, while keeping up with expenses and avoiding the use of state emergency loan funds. Amid outcry from Graeber and other classified employees, in May 2014 Dr. Brann approved the layoffs of security and maintenance workers to help balance the budget. The layoffs were not permanent and those vacant positions will be filled once the district’s finances improve. Despite the challenges, Dr. Brann presented a budget proposal during late June that eliminated the district’s structural deficit ahead of schedule and which places IUSD in a more solvent and comfortable financial situation looking into the 2015-2016 fiscal year. “Many measures were taken to reduce labor costs and to ‘right size’ personnel, programs and services. Expenditures were further controlled through implementation of best practices and the clean-up of corrupt practices,” Dr. Brann explained. “Primarily, however, balance was achieved through the State’s new revenue distribution system, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), which connects dollars with pupil needs.” IUSD became the ninth school district in the state to approach Sacramento for an emergency loan, which automatically sets off the appointing of a state trustee, since 1990. Of those nine, only four districts have regained local control. While Dr. Brann has not made public statements regarding his retirement, other than to announce his departure, in previous press releases he has noted that “a balanced budget is the first big step in the return of local control” but reminds stakeholders that the district still has an unpaid loan balance of $28.5 million. Based on the terms of the state takeover, local control will not occur until the money is repaid. • National Night Out Fosters Fun and Neighborhood Awareness Organizer and Holly Park Home Owner Association president Katrina Manning poses with chili cook-off champion Robert Hoffman at City Hall during National Night Out on August 4, 2015.
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