INSIDE INGLEWOOD - Inglewood Unified School District is under siege—from without, within and elsewhere, it seems.
The biggest secret that came to light this week is an on-site audit by the IRS.
According to IUSD Interim State Administrator La Tanya Kirk-Carter, Internal Revenue agents arrived in April and will remain until December. "Yes, the IRS is here; it is real and it is scary," she said to an SRO crowd at a May 28 Community Budget Meeting at Morningside High School's auditorium. "Inglewood triggered a full audit of every salary, every paycheck, everything."
Sitting on stage with Kirk-Carter was Michelle Plumbtree (chief management analyst with the state's Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team) and Richard Zeiger (the California Department of Education chief deputy superintendent).
Reached for comment the following day, IRS Media Relations Specialist Anabel Marquez cited IRC Section 6103 and said that "IRS Employees are prohibited by law from confirming or denying specific taxpayer information."
At an invite-only press conference held earlier on the same day as the Community Budget Meeting, Kirk-Carter would not deny that Butler's company was on the list of developers who submitted bids for an IUSD "Statements of Qualifications for Program Management/Construction Management Services" that was filed in the Daily Breeze on April 26. The legal notice stated that "the District plans to construct new and/or upgrade several existing facilities throughout the District."
At the May 28 press conference, Kirk-Carter quickly confirmed that IUSD is planning to build a new school on the Hollywood Park Tomorrow site. "The new school that we were talking about is most possibly and we're trying to secure the land returned back to the district in the Hollywood Park residential development that is set to break ground in January 2014."
She went on to explain that "a four-acre parcel that was initially set aside that ended up becoming part of the Inglewood Redevelopment Agency," and that they are working with the Successor Agency, the City of Inglewood. Kirk-Carter disclosed that she is a member of the Successor Agency.
Kirk-Carter was asked if Turner-Bakewell was one of the 18 developers who were on the list that was closed on May 17. "Yes, they were," she answered without hesitation.
Danny Bakewell, Sr., is a co-principal of Turner-Bakewell, the company that in 2012 built the IUSD's LaTijera K-8 School. Bakewell also owns the LA Sentinel and LA Watts Times—both of which heavily promoted Measure GG, a bond measure which funded IUSD—and is the president and CEO of the Brotherhood Crusade, a non-profit organization.
According to March 28 story in the LA Sentinel, "Revolution K12, a rapidly growing web-based adaptive software division of Revolution Prep, has partnered with The Brotherhood Crusade in a committed effort to transform the classrooms of three Inglewood Unified School District schools." The story did not disclose Bakewell's significant financial interests in the partnership.
According to Kirk-Carter, Revolution K12 has a financial interest in the La Tijera School via its charter school curriculum.
When asked if Arnold Butler was one of the developers on the list for the new school to be built on the Hollywood Park Tomorrow project, Kirk-Carter hesitated before answering, "Um, I do not know."
It was noted that when asked about the "new construction," she mentioned that "one of the advisory board members" was on the list "of 18" who submitted. Arnold Butler is an IUSD advisory board member.
The foundering school district has a number of other problems.
Most of the journalists present at the 3 p.m. "pre-conference" agreed that the impromptu event was called to gauge the media's concerns before evening's event was held. The evening's event was attended by a remarkable number of police.
In late April, a memo to IPD officers directly from Inglewood Police Chief Mark Fronterotta was leaked. The brief memo stated that "IUSD Police Chief Carter was placed on administrative leave this weekend. The IPD will assist IUSD school police until an Interim Police Chief is selected by the district."
Another problem is the alleged $220k that is paid out for a personal driver and car for Kirk-Carter. According to Zeiger, IUSD is paying for the interim administrator's travel costs.
Also of concern was former IUSD state administrator Kent Taylor's departure. At the press conference held on May 28, Zeiger clearly stated that Taylor "resigned."
Nevertheless, questions remain regarding Taylor's contract language, the $100k he was paid despite the California Department of Education's formal declaration of ignorance.
At the Community Budget Meeting, IUSD board member Arnold Butler sat in the audience. Approached for a comment, Butler hid his face and scurried away.
(Randall Fleming is a veteran journalist and magazine publisher. He has worked at and for the New York Post, the Brooklyn Spectator and the Los Feliz Ledger. He is currently editor-in-chief at the Morningside Park Chronicle, a monthly newspaper based in Inglewood, CA and on-line at www.MorningsideParkChronicle.com)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 11 Issue 44
Pub: May 31, 2013