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.

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."

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.

President William McKinley was assassinated more than a century ago, but on Tuesday morning, a few parents and a principal managed to breathe new life into the former leader. It was President McKinley’s birthday, and parents from William McKinley Elementary School put together a short skit for their third- to fifth-grade students on the president’s life. “It’s an opportunity to let the kids know who their school is named after,” PTA President Suzanne Weerts said.

McKinley Elementary School families are accustomed to browsing titles penned by prominent authors at their annual book fair. Next year, there will be some familiar names in the mix. Scholastic officials made a surprise visit to the Burbank campus Thursday where they announced that a fiction work written and illustrated by seven third-grade students had been selected as the grand prize winner in the company's Kids are Authors competition. “Two Dollars, One Wallet” will be published and sold at Scholastic's 116,000 school book fairs across the country next year, said regional field sales manager Alan Gilreath.

A gaggle of oil-spattered students stood beneath a raised Acura Integra in the auto shop at Burbank High School Tuesday, reaching their hands into its undercarriage. “The old transmission had a hole in it, so we are replacing it with another one from a scrapped car,” 16-year-old Thomas Wee said. Across the way, another group of students focused on a Cobra kit car that was delivered in pieces and is being assembled bit by bit. Minutes later, automotive technology teacher Manolo Lopez pulled into the garage behind the wheel of a blue Hudson Commodore 8, owned by the actress Patricia Arquette and in need of some electrical work.

An international filmmaking and acting school has opened in Burbank. Its operators plan to create opportunities for students and graduates by developing connections with local production companies and studios. The International Academy of Film and Television opened its doors last month at 635 S. San Fernando Blvd., offering filmmaking workshops, acting classes and a new visual effects program for teens. Kacy Andrews, the school's chief executive, said academy officials chose the Burbank site for several reasons, including its proximity to major film studios and a wide range of production companies.

Is the school board passing the buck regarding children's long-term safety? So far, the school board has given a tepid response to the proposed installation of a T-Mobile cell tower on N. Avon Street. While the superintendent says he opposes towers placed on school property, he hasn't taken a stance on those placed near schools. What difference does it make if you don't allow them on your property but don't oppose them when they're being installed right next door? Some board members say the issue is beyond their control, but I believe they underestimate their influence with the City Council and the mission with which they have been charged.

Golonski is elected to a fourth term as Burbank mayor. Are you kidding me? I cannot believe the high school clique masquerading as a city council. I have not always agreed with Dr. David Gordon and I sometimes think he has been a bit of a conspiracy theorist in his thinking (although you wonder, with all the court cases the city has on its hands), but come on. He was elected by voters in this city, he should have a chance to be mayor at least once. To my knowledge, Talamantes was only council member one term or year before becoming mayor.

Flanked by her family and colleagues, President Obama today called Burbank Unified teacher Rebecca Mieliwocki - the 2012 national Teacher of the Year - “the definition of 'above and beyond.'” Mieliwocki, a Glendale resident who teaches English at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank, was given the national prize Monday by the Council of Chief State School Officers. Known for an unconventional teaching style that emphasizes critical thinking, Mieliwocki beat out more than 50 other nominees.

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.

It looks like the right fit has been found for the Burbank Rancho former GM Training Facility on Riverside Drive. It is the Lycée International de Los Angeles school. This prestigious, upscale French/American school will be a good neighbor and an asset to the Rancho. With all classes taught in French, it brings an international flavor to the neighborhood, as well as an educated student population that is diverse, respectful and sophisticated. The school's students start in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten and most stay through 12th grade, some transferring to the school's other locations around the world when parents move in their jobs, or for other reasons.

After several failed attempts by developers to build on the former GM training site in the Rancho neighborhood, it appears a private preparatory school has won over local residents. At community outreach meeting this week, roughly 100 Rancho residents quizzed representatives from Lycée International de Los Angeles, or LILA, about school hours, possible traffic impacts and changes to the building. Absent were the terse exchanges and unyielding scepticism that residents brought in response to a proposed residential development from New Urban West - a project that the firm eventually gave up on. Now, the dual English-French language school with a European approach to education is in escrow to buy the parcel on Riverside Drive from New Urban West.

After months of intense neighborhood opposition, the developer of a proposed project for 50 single-family homes now plans to sell the roughly five-acre site in Burbank's Rancho area to a private school for an undisclosed price. The property, a former General Motors training facility on Riverside Drive now owned by New Urban West, is in escrow for a sale to Lycee International de Los Angeles, a college-preparatory school with a European curriculum, according to Tom Zanic, senior vice president of the development company.