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BURBANK UNIFIED COULD DENY CHARTER SCHOOL
Burbank Leader, CA
July 11 2014
Burbank Unified could deny charter school: Giligia Charter Academy
did not meet a crucial deadline to disclose its location.
By Kelly Corrigan, [email protected] July 11, 2014 |
12:30 p.m.
Burbank school officials are advising that the board of education
deny Giligia Charter Academy's petition to begin operations.
On June 5, the board approved the charter school on certain
conditions. Among them, the petitioners were required to turn in the
school's lease information and address by July 7.
But Burbank school officials had not received new information. With
the board planning to vote on the charter school on July 17, school
officials this week crafted a new recommendation -- to deny the
charter.
"That conditional approval had things in writing they had to meet,"
said Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz. "As a result, we're taking the
action. They're not surprised because this is the action we have to
take because we have to follow [state educational] code."
The charter's attorneys emailed Burbank school officials on July
9, stating the petitioners were negotiating with the owner of the
property located at 811 S. San Fernando Blvd. near Alameda Avenue,
according to a district report.
The site, which is near a Ralphs grocery store and strip mall, is
listed on Loopnet.com as being 27,612 square feet and renting at $1.35
per square foot, which would be a monthly rent of more than $37,000. A
potential renter, according to the site, does not need to take the
entire space, but would need to agree to rent at least a third.
"It is clear from the communication that the petitioners have not
yet secured that site," the report read.
School officials are also skeptical of the charter's budget, and a
$300,000 private loan "appears to be the only capital infusion prior
to the start-up of the school," a district report read. "It remains
impossible to determine if the school has provided an accurate budget."
Since the school would not receive state funds until November 2014,
the charter's budget "creates a serious concern regarding how the
schools start-up costs and ongoing operations will be financed."
The charter school's lead petitioner, Julia Yeranossian-Aghishian,
did not return a request to comment on Friday. Her attorney, Janelle
Ruley, also did not return a call.
Earlier this month, Yeranossian-Aghishian attended a forum that drew
200 people, many of them with concerns that the charter school would
set a new precedent for others to establish themselves in Burbank.
Yeranossian-Aghishian said she hoped to bridge the cultural gap for
immigrants new to the Burbank area, and residents questioned whether
the school would focus too heavily on Armenian students.
The school aimed to draw students from Van Nuys, Granada Hills, Reseda
and Woodland Hills, in addition to Glendale, Burbank and La Crescenta.
Yeranossian-Aghishian planned to open doors this September with
about 120 students, eventually increasing enrollment to 400 kids in
kindergarten through 12th grade.
http://www.burbankleader.com/news/tn-blr-burbank-unified-could-deny-charter-school-20140711,0,467707.story
Burbank Leader, CA
July 11 2014
Burbank Unified could deny charter school: Giligia Charter Academy
did not meet a crucial deadline to disclose its location.
By Kelly Corrigan, [email protected] July 11, 2014 |
12:30 p.m.
Burbank school officials are advising that the board of education
deny Giligia Charter Academy's petition to begin operations.
On June 5, the board approved the charter school on certain
conditions. Among them, the petitioners were required to turn in the
school's lease information and address by July 7.
But Burbank school officials had not received new information. With
the board planning to vote on the charter school on July 17, school
officials this week crafted a new recommendation -- to deny the
charter.
"That conditional approval had things in writing they had to meet,"
said Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz. "As a result, we're taking the
action. They're not surprised because this is the action we have to
take because we have to follow [state educational] code."
The charter's attorneys emailed Burbank school officials on July
9, stating the petitioners were negotiating with the owner of the
property located at 811 S. San Fernando Blvd. near Alameda Avenue,
according to a district report.
The site, which is near a Ralphs grocery store and strip mall, is
listed on Loopnet.com as being 27,612 square feet and renting at $1.35
per square foot, which would be a monthly rent of more than $37,000. A
potential renter, according to the site, does not need to take the
entire space, but would need to agree to rent at least a third.
"It is clear from the communication that the petitioners have not
yet secured that site," the report read.
School officials are also skeptical of the charter's budget, and a
$300,000 private loan "appears to be the only capital infusion prior
to the start-up of the school," a district report read. "It remains
impossible to determine if the school has provided an accurate budget."
Since the school would not receive state funds until November 2014,
the charter's budget "creates a serious concern regarding how the
schools start-up costs and ongoing operations will be financed."
The charter school's lead petitioner, Julia Yeranossian-Aghishian,
did not return a request to comment on Friday. Her attorney, Janelle
Ruley, also did not return a call.
Earlier this month, Yeranossian-Aghishian attended a forum that drew
200 people, many of them with concerns that the charter school would
set a new precedent for others to establish themselves in Burbank.
Yeranossian-Aghishian said she hoped to bridge the cultural gap for
immigrants new to the Burbank area, and residents questioned whether
the school would focus too heavily on Armenian students.
The school aimed to draw students from Van Nuys, Granada Hills, Reseda
and Woodland Hills, in addition to Glendale, Burbank and La Crescenta.
Yeranossian-Aghishian planned to open doors this September with
about 120 students, eventually increasing enrollment to 400 kids in
kindergarten through 12th grade.
http://www.burbankleader.com/news/tn-blr-burbank-unified-could-deny-charter-school-20140711,0,467707.story