Wiseburn Unified board approves facilities, safety-plan updates and schedules sports-complex groundbreaking

Neil Goldman, vice president of the Wiseburn Unified School Board, presided over a regularly scheduled board meeting in which trustees approved several facilities and safety items, heard reports on curriculum and advocacy, and set a March 27 groundbreaking for the district's planned sports complex at 130 Fifth and Aviation.

The board unanimously approved an amendment to the architectural agreement for the Del Air transitional-kindergarten conversion that was triggered by required changes tied to a solar, electric-vehicle charging and battery-storage installation; adopted updated comprehensive school safety plans required annually; and accepted a community funding commitment from the Wiseburn Education Foundation to upgrade the middle-school multipurpose room audio-visual system.

Those actions matter because the Del Air amendment responds to a Department of State Architect (DSA) review that identified missing path-of-travel work tied to the district's solar and EV charger project, the safety plans formalize emergency and instructional-continuity procedures for every school site, and the AV upgrade will expand the district's ability to support performances and assemblies.

During facilities discussion, staff said the Del Air change order arose after a DSA reviewer identified ADA path-of-travel items related to the district's solar and battery system that were not included in the original close-out documents. A district representative told the board Del Air had completed construction last summer but remained in close-out, and DSA required the architect of record, Corgan, to issue changes to address the omission. The board voted 3-0 to authorize the amendment.

Superintendent Dr. Silvers described the comprehensive school safety plans as a "living document" and explained the two-part focus: physical-site issues such as trip hazards and camera systems, and school-connectedness measures that address social-emotional supports and student-adult relationships. "We do have flip books in the classrooms," Silvers said, and staff reported they will add a one-page front cover with emergency contact steps and update hanging flip-chart drill guides so site staff can use them quickly in an incident.

Trustees approved the safety plans on second reading and adoption by unanimous vote. Board members and staff said the plans are shared with local public-safety partners, including Hawthorne Police and LA County Fire, and that the plan packet now includes a new section on immigration-enforcement response drafted this year.

On capital projects, the board confirmed a district schedule that sets a ceremonial groundbreaking for the 130 Fifth & Aviation sports complex at 3:30 p.m. on March 27. Staff said the timing aligned with construction and funding timelines; the district also noted SCE (Southern California Edison) permission-to-operate remains pending for several solar sites but staff expected the last approvals "any day." The board emphasized that timing for the solar work was driven by eligibility for Inflation Reduction Act credits the district would forfeit if work were delayed.

Trustees also discussed a planned multipurpose-room audio-visual upgrade at the middle school. The project originally carried a vendor quote of $39,874.15 and staff reported the Wiseburn Education Foundation (WEF) has committed just over $37,000 toward the work to add stronger projection, new screens and a more robust wireless microphone/audio system to support dramas and music performances. WEF representative Willis Chang was thanked during the meeting for the commitment.

In other business, the board adopted a settlement agreement in OAH case number 2024100756 and approved the customary annual release notices for temporary certificated employees; both motions passed 3-0. Trustees also approved the consent agenda covering purchase orders and several routine items after a brief question about legacy Chase credit-card charges being cleared out as the district transitions vendors.

Board members used their reports to highlight statewide advocacy and local instructional work. Trustee Rebecca described attending the LA County School Trustees Association meeting and noted distribution of "red cards" from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, "designed to help people assert their rights and defend themselves" if contacted by federal agents; she also summarized discussion of two California bills, AB 49 and SB 48, that would limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement consistent with Plyler v. Doe principles. On curriculum, district instructional staff described a March 7 mini-conference for math teachers, reporting 41 Wiseburn teachers registered, 32 session offerings and roughly 70 total attendees including neighboring districts, and said the district continues piloting i-Ready as part of an elementary reading-screener selection.

The meeting closed with a recognition note that special-education teacher Marissa Larson was being honored by the SELPA community advisory committee and with trustees reminding families about upcoming school open houses. Vice President Goldman adjourned the meeting after a 3-0 vote to end proceedings.

Looking ahead, staff will return with status updates on SCE permission-to-operate for the solar sites, specific dates for the EV charger rollouts and any DSA close-out items that affect active projects; the board's next regular meeting is scheduled for March 13 as noted by staff during the meeting.