Inglewood Unified committee reviews draft recommendations for Highland, Kelso and Morningside sites

The Inglewood Unified School District Asset Management Committee reviewed a draft findings-and-recommendations report for the former Highland, Kelso and Morningside school sites at its Nov. 19, 2025 meeting, focusing discussion on the report’s structure, fiscal considerations and next steps for community input.

Chair Cheryl Matthews opened the meeting and introduced County Administrator Dr. James Morris, who praised the committee’s advisory role and cited the Worthington site as an example of committee recommendations guiding district decisions. "Your time is valuable. You're providing a valuable service that guides the decisions that the district makes," Dr. Morris said.

Legal counsel Serene Abraham of Orbeck Huff & Henderson LLP reviewed the draft report and described the changes presented as largely formatting updates and consistency edits. Abraham said sections one and two (executive summary and committee background) were the committee’s focus for this meeting, while the fiscal-considerations section (Section 3) requires more substantive data before being finalized.

The committee discussed statutory context and public-notice procedures included in the draft. Abraham cited Education Code sections 17388, 17389 and 17390 as the statutory framework governing the committee’s duties and membership and noted that advisory meetings are conducted under the Brown Act; board bylaw 9323 was referenced for public-comment procedures.

A central policy discussion focused on fiscal considerations and the difference between selling and leasing district property. Raphael Guzman explained the financial distinction: "If you sell a property, the proceeds of that sale have to be utilized for facilities purposes," he said, adding that lease revenue would typically flow to the general fund and provide ongoing revenue the district could target for priorities such as salaries or deficit reduction. Guzman said he generally prefers leases for the ongoing revenue stream they provide.

Committee members asked staff to add clear, concise language in the report defining the fiscal consequences of a sale versus a lease and to separate fiscal considerations by site so readers can see projected impacts. Members also requested that each property description include street addresses, that zoning designations be noted (with a reminder that zoning changes must go through the city), and that the report better tie potential fiscal outcomes to stated community benefits, such as park expansion or support for instructional programs.

The committee agreed to incorporate updated demographic and enrollment projections into Section 4. Members asked Guzman to present revised projections in January or February; those figures will be added to the report so the asset committee can consider them when finalizing recommendations. The report will also add the acronym "TK" and clarify the district’s current TK–8 and 9–12 configuration in demographic text.

During public comment, Dr. Michael J. Harris, representing LA Christian Academy, read a letter from Baron Farwell expressing the organization's formal interest in the Highland Elementary campus and outlining a proposal for academics, afterschool programs, community workshops and local employment opportunities. The district reiterated that it does not act on proposals until it receives the committee's recommendations and explained that formal proposals are typically handled through a request-for-proposals (RFP) process that allows any organization to submit an application.

The committee made several procedural decisions and agreed on a set of edits to the draft report: add definitions and site-specific fiscal language for sale versus lease and use-of-proceeds, include updated demographic projections and TK clarification, and add property addresses and adjacent-lease-area details for Morningside. Members scheduled review of Sections 6 and 7 and the updated fiscal material for the next meeting.

The committee approved the minutes from Oct. 18 and Oct. 21, 2025 by roll call after a motion from committee member Neil Jordan and a second from Debbie Tate; all members recorded "approve." Chair Matthews set the next meeting for Dec. 16, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. and the meeting adjourned at 6:01 p.m. after a motion from John Hughes and a second from William Perez that passed by roll call.

What’s next: staff will update the draft to include the requested fiscal clarifications, property addresses and the new demographic projections; Sections 6 and 7 will be reviewed at the Dec. 16 meeting before the committee finalizes recommendations for the board.