Crozier Project Approved

Earlier in the week, on November 8, 2004, school district and community leaders met in a productive round-table discussion at the third Joint Meeting of the Board of Education and the Measure K Citizens' Oversight Committee to be held this year. "The atmosphere in this room feels good," commented Board Vice President Eveline Ross, as she thanked staff on behalf of the Board for their attention to detail and level of preparation.

Oversight Committee member Mary Bueno also applauded the joint meeting series as "the first time in two years that a real dialogue took place," in which stakeholders had the opportunity to talk openly about new challenges that have arisen since Inglewood and Ladera Heights voters passed the $131 million dollar bond in 1998.

One of the key issues discussed in the meeting is the fact that yesterday's funds are no longer sufficient for today's projects. One of the reasons is that "steel and concrete prices have been impacted by the world marketplace," explained Betsey Dougherty from architectural firm Dougherty + Dougherty. "As China prepares for the Olympics, the country is engaged in a major building program impacting the supply and cost of steel and concrete. Through free trade, we understand that the Chinese are stockpiling steel and reselling it to us at a premium. As a result, construction costs have escalated in the past few months at an unprecedented rate."

Additionally, an increase in the number of school construction projects throughout the state has forced school districts to compete against one another for low bidders. As a result, "Bids [on school projects] are coming in 30% higher than we initially planned," explained Tim Brown, Acting Chief Operations Officer for the Inglewood Unified School District.

The second major issue--the possibility that the district may have to realign its Measure K funds--goes hand in hand with the first. In the past few years, to assist school districts with the rising costs of construction, the State of California made funding available for schools that satisfy certain "Facilities Hardship" or "Critically Overcrowded Schools" conditions. The Crozier Middle School project, for example, will be partially funded by $14,327,086 in State money. Other schools that qualify for State matching funds include Hudnall, Payne, and Worthington, while Highland, Inglewood High, and Freeman are under consideration as recipients. The matching funds are needed to supplement Measure K school construction funds in today's market.

"We need to take a hard look at what we want to do," explained Brown, "since the picture of what is possible and what is reasonable under the existing Measure K program has changed significantly." This is why the Oversight Committee and the Board of Education have reassembled--to talk about the difficult decisions that lie ahead as to how to best use the district's resources.

A series of community-wide Town Hall Meetings, hosted by the Board of Education and the Oversight Committee, will begin in December, starting with a meeting on December 1, 2004 at Centinela Elementary School. Additionally, the Measure K team is preparing for a groundbreaking ceremony at Crozier Middle School in mid-December.

"It is important to have open discussions on where we are and where we want to go," said Board President Willie F. Crittendon.

"I think the joint meetings are a step in the right direction," said Oversight Committee member Blair H. Taylor. "We all need to be proactive and come together collaboratively to solve the issue at hand."

"After an in-depth study and careful consideration of our options, we had to slow down and reexamine our situation in regards to the Measure K program," said Dr. Pamela Short-Powell, Superintendent of Schools, who came on board in Inglewood a little over one year ago. "Now we are in the process of accelerating our efforts to build school facilities worthy of our children and our community."