Schools

In the wake of a controversial proposal to install a telecommunications facility in a local church, the Burbank Unified School District is moving to ban similar equipment on any of its campuses. The district's spokeswoman, Kimberley Clark, said a sentence prohibiting cellular antenna equipment and towers on school property was added to the district's safety policy by school officials on Monday. The move was a nod to neighborhood opposition to the telecommunications facility planned for the Little White Chapel on Avon Street.

After airing plans to name an interim replacement for outgoing Supt. Stan Carrizosa, the Burbank Unified school board went one step further Friday and announced Assistant Supt. of Instructional Services Jan Britz as the new permanent head of schools. Board President Debbie Kukta and Vice President Larry Applebaum confirmed the decision just minutes before taking the stage at the Starlight Bowl for the Burbank High School commencement. It came after eight hours of meetings on three separate days, and conferences with multiple district staff members, they said.

Molly Shore Students at Burroughs and Burbank high schools last month began attending classes in the new buildings of the first phase of modernization construction at the two campuses. Now, family, friends and community members have the opportunity to see the sparkling new additions at both schools during open houses on two successive Sundays. Burroughs High School opens its doors to the community from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, and Burbank High School holds its open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 20. There will be dedication ceremonies with the Board of Education in attendance and the unveiling of a plaque, said Ali Kiafar, the district's chief facilities and development superintendent.

Molly Shore Coke might be the real thing, but beginning next year, Burbank Unified middle school students will have to quench their thirst with water, milk or fruit juice instead of soda. Gov. Gray Davis this week signed Senate Bill 677, which restricts the sale of soft drinks in elementary and middle school vending machines. The legislation goes into effect in January. Although soft drinks are not sold in the district's elementary schools, they are available at middle schools.

Molly Shore Burbank public schools have exceeded federal standards for reading, writing and math, according to new academic performance indicators released this week. Nearly 39% of Burbank Unified students tested last year were proficient in English-language arts, and nearly 42% were proficient in math, according to the Adequate Yearly Progress Report, a component of the No Child Left Behind Act. The baseline numbers for students statewide were 12% for reading and writing and 12.8% for math.

NORTH GLENDALE — State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell rallied with parents and educators at Glenoaks Elementary School on Tuesday, calling on lawmakers to make education a priority and to prevent midyear budget cuts to schools. Speakers at the rally, which included California PTA President Pam Brady and Glendale Unified School District officials, urged parents, students and teachers to implore their local representatives to help keep California from worsening its current ranking in per-pupil funding for education, they said.

tullyDrive by Burbank and Burroughs highs and it's hard not to be awed by beauty of the schools' new buildings. Updated facilities and formidable structures make the schools look modern and appear to provide a fine place for young students to receive an education. However, under the surface, the impressive facades hide the embarrassment of numerous problems, dangers and troubles that although not all viable to the casual passerby, have, nevertheless, surfaced since the schools were refurbished just a few years ago. Unfortunately, sports facilities have not been immune from what many consider was poor planning, shoddy workmanship and a rush to finish the construction "on time and under budget."

Good morning, readers. Today is Monday, December 17. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck is calling for more security at LAUSD schools in the wake of Friday's mass shooting in a Newtown, Conn., elementary school. Beck says he hopes to have LAPD officers patrol the district's K-8 schools each day , beginning after students return to classes on Jan. 7 following winter break. Patch A big rig accident snarled traffic along the Golden State (5) Freeway early Monday, reports the Daily News . Police have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the death of his grandmother , who appeared to have been stabbed multiple times with a barbecue fork.

Irma Lemus BURBANK -- Voracious reading habits are paying off for Walt Disney and George Washington elementary school students whose schools were winners in a new reading program introduced by Gov. Gray Davis. The schools will receive $5,000 each in cash awards, said district officials. The "Reading Awards Program," implemented this school year, provides $2 million in awards as an incentive for students in kindergarten through eight grade to read every day. A total of 400 schools from throughout the state will receive awards from the six-month program.

WORK COMPLETE AT DAY SCHOOL Board members accepted the completion of a construction contract for Community Day School for site improvements, including asphalt, fencing and a new electric gate. Cost totaled $372,663.88 for the work by Neil Edwards Construction and was inspected by district staffers upon completion. WHAT IT MEANS This ends some of the modernization work to be done on the Community Day School. VOTE: 5-0 SECURITY CAMERA INSTALLATIONS Board members approved the installation of security camera systems at John Burroughs and Burbank high schools at a cost of $108,020 for both schools.

Look no further than John Burroughs High School to find the national grand champions of all high school choirs in the United States. After months - and for some students, years - of work, two choir teams at John Burroughs High School secured the greatest prizes in the high school show choir world when they performed before 4,800 people and several judges at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago on April 27. When the Powerhouse team of 52 students took...

Dave Kemp, a 10-year Burbank Unified school board member, was chosen by his peers to be president Thursday at the annual reorganization meeting. Kemp Thursday said he looks forward to “the process of lessening the pain we have suffered” in recent years amid budget challenges and changes in education. “Such things as testing, changes in technology, changes as a result of Measure S, issues of employee morale, and continued expectations in student achievement are but some of challenges we face,” Kemp said.

The Bellarmine-Jefferson High administration was looking for a new football coach and athletic director with expertise, experience and a vision to help build the school's sports programs. The school seems to have found all those attributes in Lance Fauria, who has hired Wednesday evening by Bell-Jeff. "We're really happy to have Lance on board here and we're hoping that he is going to be able to continue to move our football program forward," Bell-Jeff Principal John Matheus said.

The Family Service Agency of Burbank, commemorating 60 years of service, is having its sixth annual 5k CareWalk event on April 27 at Johnny Carson Park. Pre-walk activities begin at 7:30 a.m. and the walk starts at 8 a.m. The event wraps up at 10:30. Participants will receive a free pancake breakfast, T-shirts and gift bags. Individual early registration fees are $20 for youth and seniors 60-plus, and $30 for adults. Team fees are $175 for youth and seniors and $275 for adults (teams are composed of not more than 10 individuals)

Burbank school officials unveiled a proposal Thursday that would, in part, expand high-speed Internet service throughout district schools by 2017. The cost of the project would be funded by proceeds of Measure S, a bond measure passed by voters in March. Officials, however, said they do not yet have a firm estimate of the price tag. Charles Poovakan, director of information and technology for the district, provided the board during the special meeting with an overview of the district's current computing power and a suggested timeline on how to best build out its technological infrastructure.

As Burbank Unified gears up to spend the first of its $110-million bond, school officials have started prioritizing a to-do list of facility improvement projects. During a school board meeting last week, officials approved issuing $41 million in bond money to begin tackling the greatest needs. As part of the bond's requirements, the district must plan to spend about 85% of the $41 million in a three-year period, and reveal an early projection of the money assigned to future projects.

I am writing in response to your recent article about McKinley Elementary School, where a teacher was recently accused of giving answers to a student while administering the California Standards Test (“ Test scores under investigation ,” April 20). Our son, a McKinley student, is not in the third-grade class where the alleged cheating took place. He did not take the test at all because we decided to opt him out of testing, which is a parental right the California Education Code guarantees.

A construction consultant, a former school board candidate and the city treasurer are among nine people who were appointed to a committee Thursday night to oversee the spending of a $110-million bond school bond approved by voters in March. Fifteen people applied for a seat on the committee, which will review Burbank Unified's long-term maintenance plan, construction reports and bond expenditures. School board President Larry Applebaum said applicants included supporters and opponents of the bond that passed with 60% of voter approval.

A McKinley Elementary teacher has been placed on administrative leave after a third-grade student reported that the teacher helped a class answer questions on state standardized tests this week. Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz, who made the announcement during Thursday's school board meeting, added that state officials are investigating the case. Still uncertain of the alleged infraction's full consequences, Britz said state officials could mark the test scores as invalid, and potentially strip McKinley of its Academic Performance Index, or API, score, later this year.

BURBANK — The Burbank High boys' and girls' track and field teams look like squads ready to compete for their share of Pacific League championships. With just the league preliminaries and league finals left on tap in the Pacific League, the Bulldogs took part in a final tune-up Wednesday in their annual cross-town rivalry with Burroughs at Memorial Field. Burbank swept the contest, as athletes set several personal records, broke a school record and put up some solid marks. While the girls' team defeated the Indians, 94-42, the Bulldogs boys came away with a 91-45 win. "I think we're peaking at the right time and that's just what you want going into the league meet," Burbank Coach Darin Wolf said.