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Fire Service Day in Inglewood
LA County Fire Station 172 and District 2 Councilman Alex Padilla partnered for their annual Fire Service Day in the City of Inglewood late last month. Fire Service Day is a prime opportunity for the community
to connect with the men and women who dedicate their lives to protect the community. There were great raffle prizes, demonstrations, food and fun for everyone. Photo Courtesy of City of Inglewood. •
Inglewood School District Makes Small
Gains in Addressing Its Deficit Woes
By Haleemon Anderson
After starting the year with a deficit of over
$8 million, Inglewood Unified School District
has begun to steady its course, if not outright
stop the bleeding. At last week’s meeting of
the Inglewood School Board, Chief Business
Official Eugenio Villa reported that the finance
department has been able to decrease the
budget deficit by over $2 million.
Villa presented the 2017-‘18 year-end projection,
highlighting the District’s short- and
long-term plans for addressing the looming
deficit. Citing the “third interim report,”
reflecting actual spending as of April, Villa
said the deficit has been slowly decreasing as
savings from several factors are incorporated
into year-end estimates. Cost savings have
been achieved through school consolidations;
reductions in management, classified and
certificated staff; and concessions in employee
compensation and benefits.
“After a full year of financial reporting,”
said Villa, the District’s financial picture is far
from rosy. Citing enrollment as the number
one stabilizing factor, Villa said, “The District
is going to have to focus on long-term
recovery. We will get some relief from leasing
underutilized surplus properties. And as
things start to materialize, we can certainly
start incorporating that into the budget.”
Perhaps the most positive news to come
from the budget review is the state-sponsored
increase in revenue per student. Known as
the May revise, the District can incorporate
additional dollars from the state into the
general fund balance.
Villa said the final calculations, projected
through the end of the academic year, will
allow the finance department to do additional
adjustments on the projected 2018-‘19 budget.
Still, he noted, without state fiscal relief,
there is no permanent fix until enrollment
stabilizes. Board Member D’Artagnan Scorza
commended the finance team for its efforts
to mitigate the budget deficit.
In action items, the Board approved the
layoff or reduction of 45 positions. Nora
Roque, director, human resources, explained
the lessened impact of the action. “Most of
these positions were vacant or landed in
other positions. Only four resulted in actual
layoffs,” she said.
The Board also discussed instituting an
attendance campaign. State Administrator
Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana said, “When
students miss school, they miss learning and
we miss funding. We need to find a way to
build in a bit of accountability.”
The Board received petition renewals from
Wilder Preparatory Academy Charter School
Elementary (K-5) and Middle School Charter.
The renewals cover the period from 2018
through 2023.
Villa noted that a tentative agreement
was reached with the Inglewood Teachers
Association (ITA), averting a threatened
strike. At issue was the District’s proposal
to cut teacher’s healthcare benefits by 40
percent. Chris Graeber, a union representative
for classified staff, said his group hopes to
get the same deal. They will return to the
table with District staff in the next weeks
to resume negotiations.
Both the teachers’ union and California
Professional Employees (Cal-Pro) have been
a vocal presence at meetings for several
months, protesting and picketing in opposition
to proposed cuts to benefits. Graeber said
he hopes their message is getting through.
“They have not reduced administrative salaries,”
said Graeber. “They say we need to
increase enrollment, but look at the facilities.
Inglewood [High School] was supposed to
be torn down. Instead it got a paint job.”
Graeber noted enrollment is up at La Tijera
Middle School, after a multi-million-dollar
renewal. He also spoke to the decline in
enrollment as families migrate to local
charters. “At La Tijera, they renamed it a
charter…maybe they need to do that more,
since families seem to respond to that word,”
said Graeber.
The teachers’ union announced via its
website that the tentative agreement means
more talks will take place over the summer
and fall, citing the “contingency language” in
the District’s proposal and the need to hold
a ratification vote in the fall. According to
Ngozika Anyanwu, a member of the teachers’
bargaining team, the cut would amount to
a seven percent out-of-pocket cost increase
to members.
The Inglewood School Board will meet
twice during the month of June. The next
meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June
20, at 5:30 p.m. at 401 S. Inglewood Ave., in
the Dr. Ernest Shaw Board Room. A special
meeting will be held on June 28. •
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................4
Classifieds............................3
Film Review..........................2
Hawthorne Happenings....3
Lawndale..............................4
Legals............................. 2,6,7
Pets........................................8
Restaurant Guide................5
The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Daily News on a Weekly Basis - Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - June 7, 2018