Teachers, union and residents urge Inglewood board to prioritize staffing and instructional minutes amid possible cuts

Public commenters, teachers and trustees used the Inglewood Unified School District board meeting on March 4, 2026, to press the board about staffing, pay, instructional minutes and district spending.

Several speakers described immediate impacts they say will follow proposed reductions. John Hughes, speaking for ITA, criticized what he called procrastination on campus safety and staff morale and warned the district is "fiddling while Inglewood is burning," urging more internal analysis before cuts. Jose Reyes and other commentators accused the district of favoring administrators and consultants over classroom staff, argued that some administrative positions and outside contracts could be reduced to protect classroom services, and said the district owes some employees money from past services.

Kia Myers, a first-grade teacher for 45 years, said primary teachers are being asked to deliver 1,555 mandated instructional minutes while having only about 1,200 instructional minutes per week available, producing what she called a deficit of "4 hours and 50 minutes per week" that forces teachers to cut science, social studies and art. "I want to teach my students. That is all I care about," Myers said.

Johnson, founder and CEO of the Be Relent Math Collective, asked the board to appoint a district representative to her nonprofit's corporate advisory board so the program can pilot a math app or curriculum at one school; she said the nonprofit can teach rigorous math and offered to follow up with Dr. Bernadette Lucas.

Board members responded to comments. Board member Ernesto Castillo said he is pro-union, described plans to build relationships with teachers ahead of restoring more governing power to the elected board and credited staff for work updating policies intended to protect students from immigration-enforcement incidents. A trustee (speaker 4) acknowledged teacher frustrations, described the district as experiencing "controlled chaos," and urged staff and the community to keep advocating for students. Trustee Joyce Randall emphasized inclusion for people with physical disabilities and affirmed the board's focus on students.

The meeting record shows routine human-resources and educational-services items were approved that evening. The public speakers asked the board to provide clearer, actionable guidance on instructional time and staffing priorities rather than forming additional committees.

What’s next: Speakers said they will follow up with staff (Kia Myers was asked to email charts) and urged the board to pursue budget and staffing analyses that consider classroom-level impacts. The board’s next meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2026.