Glendale Unified school board member plans reelection bid

Armina Gharpetian announced she’ll run to keep her seat on the Glendale Unifed School Board, to which she was first elected in 2013.

But this time around, as residents prepare to vote in Glendale Unified’s first-ever district-based elections in April, Gharpetian will run for a District C seat.

District C encompasses the Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood and spans from Oakmont Country Club to East Colorado Street.

“Although [Glendale Unified] will no longer have an ‘at-large’ election, after my reelection, I will continue to represent all of our schools and 26,000 students regardless of which trustee area they live in,” she said in an email.

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The mother of three, who is married to Glendale City Councilman Vartan Gharpetian, said her presence on the board will be crucial as school officials work to resolve ongoing challenges.

“The reality is that in education there will always be issues to work on. There will always be new learning tools, new technology and new approaches available to our students, which require the board to plan and allocate funds appropriately,” she said.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us — improving student achievements, working on our solvency plan, updating our Measure S master plan, and so many other things,” she said, referring to the district’s plan to spend roughly $76 million that is remaining from a $270-million bond voters approved in 2011.

“My presence on the board for a second term will be a tremendous value to our district in order to continue our work as efficiently and effectively as possible,” she added.

So far, in addition to Gharpetian, three others have publicly announced their intent to run.

Incumbent Greg Krikorian will run for a seat in District B, located in the northwest of Glendale.

Meanwhile, newcomers Joal Ryan and Shant Sahakian will face off for a seat in District D, which encompasses the southeastern part of the city, including the Scholl Canyon and Adams Hill neighborhoods.

The deadline to file paperwork to run for a school board seat is Jan. 26, said City Clerk Ardy Kassakhian.

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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan