Schools

Burbank voters are weighing two distinctly different proposals this election season that carry the same name, “Measure S.” How could such a confusing turn of events come about? We're told it's by accident. At about the same time Burbank Unified School District moved forward on a $110-million bond vote in hopes of improving its schools, the city decided to ask voters to approve a special tax on trash and sewer bills to subsidize those fees for low-income seniors and disabled people.

Just when I was heartened to read the letter to the editor on Wednesday, Jan. 30, asking your paper to actually do some reporting on the Burbank school board race, I read your article (" Burbank Unified School District forum focuses on budget ") and got depressed again. Cursory reporting will not help anyone make a decision. I am curious, for example, why no one has asked candidate Steve Ferguson why, at age 23, he wants to be on the school board. What are his qualifications?

Burbank Unified school board candidate Steve Ferguson is being slapped with a $100 fine because his financial statements were incomplete -- and therefore, late -- when filed with the city last month, officials said Friday. The financial report was supposed to span through Jan. 12, but Ferguson reported contributions up until Dec. 31 of last year. When reached Friday, Ferguson blamed his tardiness on a date “mix-up” by his treasurer. “It's honestly just a mix-up with my treasurer and my treasurer didn't get the dates right,” Ferguson said.

Straight-A student Rami Makarem, 11, had three words to say as his fork was poised over two pancakes on the paper plate Friday morning before class. “They taste delicious,” said the Jordan Middle School sixth-grader. The event was the annual “A's Breakfast,” and 750 students who earned an A on their report card were treated to a pancake breakfast beginning at 6:45 a.m., said Principal Stacy Cashman. Administrators, teachers, secretaries, instructional assistants and custodians all did their part to make the students feel special.

Burbank Unified's most pressing issues were up for debate Thursday during a forum that called on five school board candidates vying for two seats to address the budget woes of Burbank schools and suggest ways to improve student success. The forum, hosted by the Burbank Chamber of Commerce and Burbank Business Partners, brought out a standing-room-only crowd of 70 people at the Buena Vista Library, where the $110-million Measure S bond began the discussion. The measure is on the March 5 ballot and would generate funds to maintain and improve schools.

We love so much about Burbank, especially our schools. We therefore consider the upcoming Burbank Unified School District school board election to be one of the most important local elections in years. Our school district, like others around the country, faces great challenges. These challenges require strong, mature leadership - leadership from people who understand how to set and work within a budget; people who have worked with parents; people who have personal experience with children and their needs; people who make and keep commitments, and who bring real-world experience to the role.

Nickelodeon recently donated more than 60 “gently used” computers and 40 monitors to the Burbank Unified School District Arts For All program. A number of the machines donated by the Burbank animation studio were used in the production of computer-generated shows, said Carson Smith, Nickelodeon Human Resources manager. The company made the donation for two reasons. “We at Nickelodeon think it is extremely important to partner with the community, and since our motto has always been 'Kids First,' we thought it was fitting that the machines would benefit children in the area,” Smith said.

The Glendale and Burbank school districts won a reprieve this week when the county Board of Supervisors delayed voting on a plan to place a storm-water cleanup proposition on the ballot, a move that could cost the districts thousands. If approved by voters, the initiative would raise funds through a parcel fee to improve local groundwater sources and prevent toxic runoff from reaching the ocean. Schools have traditionally been exempt from such assessments, but not this time. At least, not yet. It's unclear how much Glendale Unified would be charged if the tax were to be imposed; the county says it estimates $5,000 annually, but school officials were told earlier that it could be on the hook for as much as $200,000 each year.

The shooting deaths of 20 first-graders at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. has prompted Burbank Unified officials to install a buzz-in security system at Emerson Elementary School - the last campus of its kind to not have one. Emerson - one of 11 elementary schools in the district - will also get an intercom and security camera as part of the security upgrade after Burbank Unified school board members approved the $9,000 project. After the events at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, in which a shooter shot and killed 26 people, including 20 students - officials reviewed existing security measures at Burbank's elementary school campuses.

The Los Angeles City Council on Friday ordered local officials to develop a detailed plan to save a popular aircraft mechanics school at Van Nuys Airport. On a motion by Eric Garcetti, the council called on Los Angeles World Airports, the airport's operator, to find ways to preserve the North Valley Occupational Center-Aviation Center, which has trained thousands of mechanics during its 40-year history. The school, which is run by the Los Angeles Unified School District, is located off Hayvenhurst Avenue in a hangar with adjoining classrooms and workshops.