Troubled School District Completes Fiscal Recovery

The Inglewood Unified School District has completed a three-year fiscal recovery plan on time and has wiped out a $900,000 deficit in its Community Adult School Fund, county education officials said Monday.

The adult school’s financial woes were part of a $2-million deficit that led the Inglewood Unified School District in 1994 to dip into a state-required 3% reserve. The deficit led county and state education officials to appoint a fiscal advisor to the district to monitor finances for 1 1/2 years and map out a fiscal recovery plan for the district.

Cost controls measures and increased enrollment have enabled the district to rebuild the adult school fund, said Ken Shelton, assistant superintendent of business for the county. The changes also have allowed the adult school to finish the 1996-97 school year with a balance of more than $400,000.

While the adult school has moved forward, the county office is awaiting the results of an audit that was ordered in May after questions arose about the district’s accounting practices.