CHAMLIAN ARMENIAN SCHOOL LOOKS TO EXPAND ENROLLMENT
Glendale News Press, CA
March 11 2014
School officials say 'timing is pretty good' to request enrollment
boost.
March 11, 2014| By Kelly Corrigan,
Citing a long waiting list, Chamlian Armenian School officials are
looking to increase enrollment to 700 students, up from its current
cap of 500.
Rodney Khan, a Glendale-based land use consultant, filed paperwork
requesting the enrollment change with the city's planning department
on behalf of the school in late February.
He said the school has room, noting just 24 of its 30 classrooms
are used at any given time by the kindergarten through eighth-grade
students.
"They've had a waiting list for many years," Khan said. "But the
student capacity always prevented them from having these additional
students come in."
In 2011, when the school's proposal for building a 35-foot-tall
gymnasium went before the planning commission, it was denied, following
neighbors' concerns that the gym would be too intrusive and add to
existing traffic concerns.
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Although that vote was overturned by the City Council, a Design
Review Board in early 2012 denied its design, citing the gym as too
boxy and out of place with the rest of the neighborhood.
But the 9,345-square-foot gym was eventually approved with a unanimous
vote by the City Council in February 2012, clearing the way for its
construction.
City planner Roger Kiesel said that when the school's gym was approved
for construction, it came with the condition of an enrollment cap.
"There's been a cap for a number of years," he said, adding that it
was in place before the gym was built.
Now with weeks before the gymnasium opens its doors, Chamlian Principal
Vazken Madenlian said school officials believe "timing is pretty good"
to request to alter its enrollment.
"We have to turn down a lot of students," he said.
Chamlian's proposal would come before the planning commission for
their approval in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Khan said school officials are considering busing
students to the school, and perhaps establishing a pick-up and drop-off
area at St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church, which is located near
where many of Chamlian's students reside, he said.
He said the school's security guard and others strictly help regulate
the morning and afternoon traffic, and that the school would continue
to be proactive in addressing traffic issues.
"We're also strongly encouraging carpooling," he added.
http://articles.glendalenewspress.com/2014-03-11/news/tn-gnp-me-chamlian-armenian-school-looks-to-expand-employment-20140311_1_enrollment-cap-chamlian-armenian-school-additional-students
Glendale News Press, CA
March 11 2014
School officials say 'timing is pretty good' to request enrollment
boost.
March 11, 2014| By Kelly Corrigan,
Citing a long waiting list, Chamlian Armenian School officials are
looking to increase enrollment to 700 students, up from its current
cap of 500.
Rodney Khan, a Glendale-based land use consultant, filed paperwork
requesting the enrollment change with the city's planning department
on behalf of the school in late February.
He said the school has room, noting just 24 of its 30 classrooms
are used at any given time by the kindergarten through eighth-grade
students.
"They've had a waiting list for many years," Khan said. "But the
student capacity always prevented them from having these additional
students come in."
In 2011, when the school's proposal for building a 35-foot-tall
gymnasium went before the planning commission, it was denied, following
neighbors' concerns that the gym would be too intrusive and add to
existing traffic concerns.
Advertisement
Although that vote was overturned by the City Council, a Design
Review Board in early 2012 denied its design, citing the gym as too
boxy and out of place with the rest of the neighborhood.
But the 9,345-square-foot gym was eventually approved with a unanimous
vote by the City Council in February 2012, clearing the way for its
construction.
City planner Roger Kiesel said that when the school's gym was approved
for construction, it came with the condition of an enrollment cap.
"There's been a cap for a number of years," he said, adding that it
was in place before the gym was built.
Now with weeks before the gymnasium opens its doors, Chamlian Principal
Vazken Madenlian said school officials believe "timing is pretty good"
to request to alter its enrollment.
"We have to turn down a lot of students," he said.
Chamlian's proposal would come before the planning commission for
their approval in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Khan said school officials are considering busing
students to the school, and perhaps establishing a pick-up and drop-off
area at St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church, which is located near
where many of Chamlian's students reside, he said.
He said the school's security guard and others strictly help regulate
the morning and afternoon traffic, and that the school would continue
to be proactive in addressing traffic issues.
"We're also strongly encouraging carpooling," he added.
http://articles.glendalenewspress.com/2014-03-11/news/tn-gnp-me-chamlian-armenian-school-looks-to-expand-employment-20140311_1_enrollment-cap-chamlian-armenian-school-additional-students