School Board Race May Be One to Watch in Burbank

The Burbank school board race, which usually plays second fiddle to the Burbank City Council contest, may end up providing the real drama in Tuesday’s municipal election.

Seven candidates are vying for three vacancies on the five-member board. Several city officials, who asked not to be identified, described the candidates--including three attorneys, a school administrator and three business executives--as generally more able and competitive than the eight City Council candidates on the ballot.

“I think the choice of candidates is a lot better in our race,” school board candidate Dwain F. Bender, 45, a management executive, agreed. But, he added, because the City Council race lacks suspense, “It may be a hard time getting people out to vote for us.”

Among the council candidates are two gadflies and an ousted council appointee to the Burbank Airport commission.

The only school board incumbent seeking reelection is William S. Abbey, a state deputy attorney general who has served on the school board 2 1/2 years.

Also running is Tomme J. Lenz, a community volunteer who narrowly lost a board bid two years ago. Lenz, 54, president of the First District Parents and Teachers Assn., a state organization, runs a Burbank paint store with her husband.

Other candidates include Bender; Charles A. Goldwasser, 36, an attorney; Cortland W. Blind, 45, a data processing supervisor; John B. Rasche, 40, an attorney, and Walton L. Ragan, a school administrator.

Marilyn Huston Paggi, 37, also filed her intention to run, but dropped out of the race. But she withdrew too late for her name to be removed from the ballot, city officials said.

The candidates do not run for specific seats. Candidates need 50% plus one vote to win in this election. An April runoff will be held for any seats for which there is no winner, with the top vote-getters claiming victory.

As with the council race, the school board contest lacks a timely issue for the candidates. However, the board is to consider several important proposals in the near future.

Among the most controversial is a reconfiguration plan to decrease operating costs and deal with declining enrollment in some schools. The plan would convert two of the district’s three junior high schools into middle schools for sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The ninth grade would be transferred to high schools and the district’s elementary schools would be scaled back to kindergarten to fifth grades.

However, the plan would also require the closing of one junior high school and may require the closing of an adult school and two elementary schools.

All of the candidates said they favor the middle school concept, but oppose the closing of schools.

The district also is facing an anticipated loss of $600,000 in revenue, which the new board will have to deal with, school officials said.