Letter to the Editor:
These are the comments I made during the Public Communications section at the October 9th, 2025, BUSD Board Meeting. It was my intention to remind the Board that they are spending a great deal of taxpayer’s money and getting nothing for it. I also hope that it will serve as factual information for the voting public.
At the BUSD Board Meeting of May 1st, 2025, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the contract for the position of Chief Administrative Officer. In the Board Report it states that “it is imperative to employ a new role that will oversee Measure ABC, enhance administrative efficiency and strengthen the commitment in education and support services”.
You, the members of the Board of Education for this district voted for Andy Cantwell to serve in this position and be responsible for:
- Risk Management
- Legal Services
- Worker’s Compensation
- Facilities and Operations
- Measure ABC
- The report states that he will also serve as the lead negotiator with the Burbank Teachers Association, Title IX Coordinator, and Uniform Complaint Procedures Officer. It goes on to state that he will oversee and service the Measure ABC Bond Facility Bond projects.
This is quite a job. For one person to be able to serve the district in these many and diverse capacities requires skills, commitment, and of course, compensation. The contract that you approved gave Mr. Cantwell an annual salary of $245,338.00 with 13.1 required unpaid furlough days reducing the salary by 5% to $233,071.10. Included in this package are 27 days of paid vacation, 12 days of sick leave, 16 paid currently scheduled and 2 floating holidays and of course the 13.1 furlough days. The contract for this job to “enhance administrative efficiency and strengthen the commitment in education and support services” began on July 1st of this year. As of this date Mr. Cantwell has been the Chief Administrative Officer for over 75 days.
How can you, the trustees of this district, explain to the community you were elected to serve that Mr. Cantwell has rarely been at work, has never attended a Board of Education Meeting in the capacity of Chief Administrative Officer, and simply is not doing his multi-faceted job while you are paying him the salary I read to you? Are we to assume that he is using his vacation pay, sick leave, pay and his 13.1 furlough days in one lump sum and then will come to work and fulfill the requirements of this complex job? Is he, as has been rumored, on paid administrative leave? It’s puzzling to say the least.
The contract that you signed with him allows for termination by mutual consent, without cause, for cause, or for continuing disability. The contract states that the Chief Administrative Officer may be terminated “for failure to satisfactorily perform the duties of his position as determined in the evaluation process conducted by the Superintendent.” The Superintendent would have grounds to provide Mr. Cantwell with an evaluation to support this reason for termination for cause.
What are you doing about Mr. Cantwell’s lack of attendance? What are you doing about the fact that he is being paid for doing nothing?
Linda Walmsley
Burbank
