First Custodians Hired Since Supervisor’s Arrest

Workers for Custodian Crew

The Inglewood Unified School District has hired five custodians, the first since custodian supervisor Andrew Truesdale was arrested 10 months ago for allegedly embezzling $440,000 from the district.

The Inglewood school board voted at its Wednesday night meeting to hire five people for a roving night crew. The shift is the same one that Truesdale supervised and has been worked by substitute employees for the last two years.

During that time, Truesdale allegedly placed 77 phantom employees on the payroll. Union representatives have pushed for the positions to be filled by permanent employees to prevent mismanagement and to enable the workers to receive benefits. Truesdale has not been formally charged.

Supt. McKinley Nash also issued a report detailing action the board has taken regarding the fraudulent use of a teaching credential. Willie Clifton Wright, a longtime instructor in the district, was arrested Sept. 4 on allegations that he masqueraded as a teacher by using the credential of Robert Eugene Sullivan, a real teacher who works in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Nash reported that the board has established a committee to review complaints of inappropriate grades given by Wright. The board is reviewing ways to improve the teacher application process so false credentials can be detected.