Letter to the Editor:
Recently myBurbank published a letter I wrote about the taxpayer funded $447,496.90 settlement that the Burbank Unified School District paid to Andy Cantwell. I was flabbergasted by that amount of money going to settle a contract based on performance failures detailed in the charges read to him at a Board Meeting in December of 2025. When almost half a million dollars intended to be used to educate the children of Burbank went to Mr. Cantwell, flabbergasted was the only word I could summon to express my feelings. Mr. Cantwell’s position as Chief Administrator was said to be essential at the time of his promotion by The Board of Education. Now the Board considers this position unnecessary?
Now I am writing to inform the community that I have learned that this method of settling contract issues continues. At the February 12th meeting School Board President Pontzer-Kamkar announced that a settlement agreement with Sarah Rudchenko, former Superintendent: Human Resources was reached, and the payout amount was approximately $400,000.00.
$450,000 here, $400,000 there. Pretty soon it adds up to real money. What makes this especially concerning is the fact that The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) and The Financial Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) are currently meeting with district officials to assist in resolving a designation as “A District of Going Concern”! This suggests that the district may be unable to meet its future financial obligations.
Am I still flabbergasted? You bet! And every taxpayer in Burbank should be joining me in expressing their disapproval of this misuse of educational dollars by the Board of Education.
Les Cohen
Burbank
