Letter to the Editor
For more than two and half years, The Burbank Unified School (BUSD) District had struggled to keep current with one of the most basic requirements of governance-maintaining accurate and timely minutes of its public meetings. While I do want to acknowledge and thank the BUSD for the fact that some older minutes have begun to come forward for approval, the backlog remains significant.
This delay is not a small matter. BUSD Board Policy 9324 is clear “The Superintendent or designee shall distribute a copy of the unapproved minutes of the previous meeting with the agenda of the next regular meeting.” That is the standard set by the BUSD. Yet, instead of approving minutes from its most recent meeting, this Board continues to bring forward minutes that are months-or even years-old, while current records remain incomplete.
I also want to raise a question about the process of approving minutes from meetings that occurred before certain Trustees even took office. While it may not technically violate the Brown Act, it is concerning to see a Trustee, such as Trustee Cano, voting to approve minutes for meetings she did not attend, and which occurred before her term began. Approving minutes should reflect the Board’s institutional memory of what transpired at a meeting, and that raises important questions about accuracy and accountability.
Finally, I must ask about something that still confuses me. The Board authorized a consultant contract in August of 2024 of up to $90,000 for clerical services-who we now know to be Charlene Tabet. We also know that a district employee was hired shortly after this in 2024 whose daily duties include Board Minutes. It is also confusing that the Board would have approved a $90,000 contract in September and just weeks after that approval, hired a district person for the same work. Why would payments continue to go forward to Ms. Tabet’s company, when a California School Employees Association (CSEA) employee was hired to perform those duties?
The community deserves transparency and timely records. Accurate, up to date minutes are not a luxury-they are the foundation of public trust. I hope this Board will make it a priority to approve the most recent minutes at the next scheduled Board meeting.
Les Cohen
Burbank
