Schools

Armond Aghakhanian is officially out of the Burbank Unified school board race after collecting the least amount of primary election votes among five candidates competing for two seats. With just 2,749 votes, Aghakhanian trailed at fifth place behind David Dobson, who had 2,854, according to final figures released Friday by the city clerk's office. The two had been within the margin of unconfirmed mail-in ballots after Tuesday, forcing the candidates to wait until the results had been verified.

Jordan Middle School volunteers were up early Saturday morning building tables and benches or setting plants in neat rows for the Betty Steinkolk Literacy Patio and Garden, dedicated to the beloved former principal who died in 2009. The 3 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony was the culmination of a yearlong partnership between the Burbank Business Partners, Burbank Assn. of Realtors Community Service Foundation and the Burbank Noon Rotary Club, said Sue Georgino, board member of the Business Partners.

The super PAC for a controversial Sacramento-based education reform group has spent more than $13,000 in the Burbank school board race, baffling the two candidates who are benefiting from the expenditures and raising the eyebrows of other local stakeholders. StudentsFirst - led by former District of Columbia schools chancellor Michelle Rhee - spent $6,675 each on campaign mailers and other promotional materials for Burbank school board candidates David Dobson and Charlene Tabet, according to reports filed with the city clerk.

I support Measure S because it is the best way our community can maintain and upgrade public school facilities to the level of safety and functionality our children deserve. Our high-quality schools are one reason people move to Burbank, and investing in our schools will preserve property values while preparing our young people for successful futures. Burbank's schools were modernized with the funds from the 1997 bond, but there are always repairs that need to be made to any facility (as with a family home)

Burbank election candidates continued to beef up their campaign coffers during the last reporting period, which spanned through Feb. 9, just as ballots for Tuesday's primary began to arrive in Burbank homes. Candidate Bob Frutos continued to lead fundraising efforts among the six vying for a seat on the City Council, having amassed $5,182 between Jan. 13 and Feb. 9, records show. Incumbents Jess Talamantes and David Gordon followed closely behind him, having each raised nearly $3,900 over the same period.

So, last Saturday I'm going through the newspaper wondering what movie to catch, when I come upon the story about Burroughs High School students performing “Sweeney Todd.” A high school production of “Sweeney Todd”? This I have to see. Since my children graduated from Burroughs, I was familiar with the school's ambitious pop shows, but even so this production was extraordinary. To see kids tackle a property as complicated and adult as “Sweeney Todd” and do so well by it is a thrill.

Facing criticism that she used a Burbank Unified school board candidate's political consulting company for her election campaign, Interim City Clerk Zizette Mullins this week called it a “non-issue.” Mullins, who is seeking election to the post after being appointed to fill a vacancy, said she didn't know school board candidate Steve Ferguson was associated with the company. And Mullins said that all transactions were done through Devin Cotter, who she did not realize was business partners with Ferguson until well after the fact.

Expert opinion may be split on the risks associated with the proposed $110-million school bond on the March 5 ballot, but Burbank Unified officials say lessons learned from the last bond in 1997 will ensure taxpayers get more bang for their buck. Causing some consternation is the fact that school officials are essentially asking voters to approve millions in bonds that will be subject to future interest rates that can't be predicted, leading to fears that the district will get locked into a situation where it's spending far more in interest than what it got in capital.

Marcus LoVett Jr., one of the most highly touted sophomore boys' basketball players in the country , has left Providence High, head of school Joe Sciuto said Friday in a statement. Earlier this month, LoVett, the reigning All-Area Boys' Basketball Player of the Year and Burbank Leader Male Athlete of the Year, left the team and didn't compete for the Pioneers in Wednesday's 72-66 loss to Lancaster Desert Christian in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division V-AA playoffs.

With less than a month to go, the campaign is in full swing for the $110-million Measure S school bond. Leading the effort is former Mayor Marsha Ramos, who is overseeing the campaign, both in terms of the operation and as an ambassador to the community. Of 1,000 yard signs Ramos ordered that call for support of the bond, Ramos said all but 20 had been picked up by this week, most of them destined for Burbank lawns. By state law, school bonds can't be approved through a mail-in ballot, which is the only way residents can vote in the Burbank election.