Letter to the Editor:
What is going on with former Superintendent Paramo’s resignation of last June 5, 2025? Why has his resignation been changed to retirement? When did this happen? I cannot find anywhere where this is mentioned on any closed session or open meeting agendas.
Dr. Paramo is entitled to retire whenever he chooses to, and when he does he will receive his entire CALSTRS pension for as long as he lives; the BUSD Board does not control that. But Dr. Paramo did not retire from his employment at BUSD, he resigned, in other words, he quit, the same day the Board announced the Tabet scam.
At the last Board meeting, when the Board was considering about $6 million in cuts to help balance the budget, hidden amid dozens of resolutions and 29 consent calendar items, inside an 11-page Personnel Report, John Paramo’s name appears memorializing his retirement, effective June 5, 2025. Who agreed to change his resignation and why?
This seemingly minor change means the district will now have to pay him for his medical insurance until he turns 65, around 8 years. This will cost the district nearly $14,000 in the first year and the costs will increase every year, as all medical insurance costs increase.
This medical insurance benefit is only available to people who retire from working for the district, not to someone who resigns. What is the reason for agreeing to change his resignation to retirement and paying him this money considering the circumstances of his resignation?
Every unnecessary expense adds up. In addition to these medical insurance payments this Board just gave Assistant Superintendents Cantwell and Rudchenko around $800,000 in settlement packages, after they were paid to sit at home for half a year, while doing no work. Why is this Board agreeing to these settlements at a time when the district is struggling to cut expenses and has to lay off staff?
Jef Vander Borght
Burbank Resident and Grandparent of two BUSD students
