It was a rather brief two-hour open meeting of the Burbank Unified School District on Thursday night at the district office board room as four members were in attendance and included Dr. Emily Weisberg, the president, Dr. Armond Aghakhahian, the vice president, Charlene Tabet, a member, and Steve Ferguson, also a member.
Absent was clerk Abby Pontzer Kamkar and when Ferguson left after twenty-three minutes, the number was reduced to three.
Superintendent Dr. John Paramo kicked off the evening by noting that the exterior of Burroughs High has been completely painted and is ready for the upcoming school year.
Paramo added that the Burbank swimming pool is about 75 percent complete and that the school’s baseball field has been upgraded.
One of the two five-minute public speakers said that affordable housing in Burbank is a must.
Weisberg agreed. “Burbank is a town where we all belong and not everyone makes enough money to live here,” she said. “Because you don’t make enough money doesn’t mean you don’t belong in Burbank.”
Tabet spent several minutes talking about the recent Skills USA competition which took place in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I love to see kids shine. The kids competed and they were smart and well-behaved,” she noted. “They excelled in electrical, plumbing, masonry, public speaking and cosmetology, and so many other skills. They built cabinets and structures. It was one of the best experiences of my life.”
By a vote of 3-0, the lead educational sign language supervisor position and placement on the classified supervisors and managers schedule B, Range F was approved.
Another key 3-0 vote included the acceptance for E-rate structure cabling project of Burroughs as recommended by Assistant Superintendent Andrew Cantwell.
In closing, Tabet said the following: “I was happy to see the bulldozing and taking down of the pool at Burbank and thank you to all those who helped.”
On a separate matter and acknowledging the divisiveness in the political world, Tabet remarked: “It’s okay to disagree but we must have respect for each other when we don’t agree.”
Aghakhanian ended the evening by saying: “I look forward to the opening of schools.”
Weisberg concurred and added this: “I’m also looking forward to the schools opening and I also want to thank the Friends of the Library for all their hard work.”
