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BOARD REVOKES APPROVAL OF CHARTER SCHOOL
Burbank Leader, CA
July 18 2014
Failure of petitioners to secure a site for Giligia Charter Academy
was cited as a reason for decision.
By Alene Tchekmedyian, [email protected] July 18, 2014 |
4:24 p.m.
The Burbank Unified school board on Thursday revoked its approval of
Giligia Charter Academy, citing the failure of petitioners to secure
a school site by the deadline or provide a thorough updated budget,
as well as what some school board members considered a lack of a need
for such a facility in Burbank.
Board members -- who initially approved the school last month on
certain conditions, including that petitioners would submit the
school's address and lease information by July 7 -- revoked their
decision in a 4-0 vote. School board member Charlene Tabet was absent.
"You need to come back with a proposal that shows us that you can
pull off what you're trying to do," said school board member Larry
Applebaum.
Petitioners said Thursday they had a five-year lease in hand for
property at 811 S. San Fernando Blvd., a contract that was contingent
on the board's approval of the project.
Petitioner Julia Yeranossian said after the meeting that she was
shocked by the vote, but added that she'll continue to pursue opening
the school because she feels there's a need for it in the community.
The idea was to bridge the cultural gap for recent immigrants, though
the school would be open to all students. Lessons would be taught in
English, but the school would also offer foreign-language classes in
Armenian and Spanish, according to the petition.
At the meeting, board member Dave Kemp said he didn't think there was
a need for a new charter school in Burbank given that existing public
schools are not underperforming or failing to meet student needs.
"If you see that there's a need for some change in our schools, I
think it would be worthwhile for all of us to get together and try
to understand what those needs are and how we can best address those
needs within the public schools, rather than separating out students
to go to another school," Kemp said.
More than a dozen community members addressed the board Thursday about
the proposal, some in favor of the new school, while others worried
about losing diversity in existing Burbank schools by separating
students with different backgrounds.
For parent Suzanne Weerts, diversity is among the qualities she values
most about Burbank public schools.
"The lives of my children have been enriched, as have my husband and
my lives, because of the variety of cultures," she said. "I really
do fear that the segregation created by the opening of a potential
charter school would rob future generations of Burbank students of
this culture richness."
http://www.burbankleader.com/news/tn-blr-board-revokes-approval-of-charter-school-20140718,0,4072228.story
Burbank Leader, CA
July 18 2014
Failure of petitioners to secure a site for Giligia Charter Academy
was cited as a reason for decision.
By Alene Tchekmedyian, [email protected] July 18, 2014 |
4:24 p.m.
The Burbank Unified school board on Thursday revoked its approval of
Giligia Charter Academy, citing the failure of petitioners to secure
a school site by the deadline or provide a thorough updated budget,
as well as what some school board members considered a lack of a need
for such a facility in Burbank.
Board members -- who initially approved the school last month on
certain conditions, including that petitioners would submit the
school's address and lease information by July 7 -- revoked their
decision in a 4-0 vote. School board member Charlene Tabet was absent.
"You need to come back with a proposal that shows us that you can
pull off what you're trying to do," said school board member Larry
Applebaum.
Petitioners said Thursday they had a five-year lease in hand for
property at 811 S. San Fernando Blvd., a contract that was contingent
on the board's approval of the project.
Petitioner Julia Yeranossian said after the meeting that she was
shocked by the vote, but added that she'll continue to pursue opening
the school because she feels there's a need for it in the community.
The idea was to bridge the cultural gap for recent immigrants, though
the school would be open to all students. Lessons would be taught in
English, but the school would also offer foreign-language classes in
Armenian and Spanish, according to the petition.
At the meeting, board member Dave Kemp said he didn't think there was
a need for a new charter school in Burbank given that existing public
schools are not underperforming or failing to meet student needs.
"If you see that there's a need for some change in our schools, I
think it would be worthwhile for all of us to get together and try
to understand what those needs are and how we can best address those
needs within the public schools, rather than separating out students
to go to another school," Kemp said.
More than a dozen community members addressed the board Thursday about
the proposal, some in favor of the new school, while others worried
about losing diversity in existing Burbank schools by separating
students with different backgrounds.
For parent Suzanne Weerts, diversity is among the qualities she values
most about Burbank public schools.
"The lives of my children have been enriched, as have my husband and
my lives, because of the variety of cultures," she said. "I really
do fear that the segregation created by the opening of a potential
charter school would rob future generations of Burbank students of
this culture richness."
http://www.burbankleader.com/news/tn-blr-board-revokes-approval-of-charter-school-20140718,0,4072228.story