District details major construction timeline: Inglewood High rebuild, child development center and new early-education complex

District staff and the bond program director told the Citizen Bond Oversight Committee that multiple large capital projects are underway and provided estimates for scope, contractors and timelines.

Noel Dcastro, the bond program director with Cordoba Corporation, summarized summer work across campuses. He said the New Kelso campus (the combined site now named Keelso) included interior classroom upgrades and exterior repairs, an artificial-turf soccer field and a ribbon-cutting; the project’s recent reported cost was about $5.1 million. Dcastro said work at the Inglewood High School United campus included renovations to about 20 classrooms, new windows and HVAC work, gym improvements and auditorium carpeting, with roughly $6.2 million spent in the recent reporting period.

On larger new construction, Jordan Miles said the district has selected contractors and manufacturers for multiple projects. For the child development center the district has selected the Nazarian Group as contractor and Silver Creek as the modular manufacturer; Miles said pre-construction activity is underway, modular buildings have been purchased and staff expect construction activity to increase in September with completion projected “by the end of next summer” as reported to the committee. For the Bennett Q middle school classroom building, a builder (PCN3) has been selected, the design received state approval and kickoff meetings are scheduled; staff again stated the schedule aims for completion by the end of next summer.

Miles described the Inglewood High School reconstruction as a larger, multi-year effort. He said the district will retain two existing buildings (the auditorium and gym) and demolish the remaining campus buildings to build seven new structures, including a two-story classroom/administration building, a central multi-purpose/cafeteria building, lab and single-story CTE/fine-arts buildings and a student life building. Miles said contractor "Balfer Batty" has mobilized and abatement work has begun; the team is finishing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis before demolition, which is scheduled for the end of the calendar year. Staff said the project is slated for completion by the end of 2027 so students could occupy the new campus after winter break in January 2028.

Committee members raised programmatic and operational questions: Dr. Barbara Troder and others emphasized ensuring a certified school librarian and adequate in-school library resources if the district uses a shared city library via a pedestrian bridge; staff said they are coordinating with the City’s library modernization project and will plan for library access and collaboration. Members also asked about restroom and parking counts for the new high school; staff offered to provide final fixture counts and said the southern end of the campus will accommodate a new parking lot of roughly 150 spaces.

What’s next: Staff will return with a consolidated budget-and-expenditure table at the committee’s next regular meeting, will confirm restroom/parking fixture counts, and will report progress on CEQA and demolition for the high-school reconstruction.