California’s state school superintendent Wednesday appointed Kent Taylor to run the insolvent Inglewood Unified School District.
Taylor, currently superintendent of Southern Kern Unified School District, is a graduate of Inglewood High School.
Facing insolvency, Inglewood USD asked the state for an emergency $55 million loan, triggering a state takeover.
“My top priority is to keep Inglewood’s schools open and serving its students, while returning the district to fiscal solvency, and ultimately, local control,” Tom Torlakson, the state superintendent, said in a statement. “Kent Taylor is the right choice for this tough, but critically important, job. He has deep roots in the Inglewood community, and a proven track record as a leader and sound fiscal manager.”
Under the emergency legislation passed by legislators to rescue the district, Torklason, through his designated state administrator, assumes authority over the district from the elected school board, which now serves only in an advisory capacity.
State control continues until the district has adequate fiscal systems and controls in place, and until Torklason is assured that the district’s future compliance with the fiscal plan approved for the district is likely.
Inglewood USD is the ninth school district in California since 1990 to be taken over by the state after requiring an emergency loan.
Since then, local governance has been returned to five districts, according to the department.
