Dispute in Burbank : Board Rules Candidate’s Son Is in School Illegally

The Burbank Board of Education has ruled that a candidate running for one of two open seats on the board does not live in the city and cannot send his son to junior high school there.

The five-member board unanimously agreed Thursday after five nights of hearings that S. Michael Stavropoulos, 50, a neurosurgeon, had lied about his address and did not live within school district boundaries. Stavropoulos has said since last fall that he lives at 634 E. Walnut Ave.

It was the second time the board has ruled that Stavropoulos was keeping a false residence. Stavropoulos sued the district in October when the board voted to remove his son from school. Burbank Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Murphy ordered the board to re-hear the case because he said a transcript of the October hearing was unintelligible.

The decision probably will result in the removal of Stavropoulos’ 14-year-old son, Michael, from John Muir Junior High School. The youth has been attending the school under a court order until the case is resolved.

Supt. Arthur Pierce said the board’s conclusion was based on sworn testimony and documentation, such as tax records, that show Stavropoulos does not reside at the house.

Pierce said the school district’s attorneys next week will present the board’s decision to Murphy, who will decide whether Stavropoulos’ son is to be removed from John Muir.

However, the board’s decision will have no effect on Stavropoulos’ campaign. The city’s municipal election is Tuesday. But if Stavropoulos is elected, the city clerk’s office will investigate the residency question, City Clerk Merle Woodburn said. Stavropoulos signed an affidavit swearing he is a resident of the city, she said.

Stavropoulos said the board’s conclusion is proof that the panel “is trying to manipulate the will of the people in this election. I’m confident that the people will not be fooled. The board is insulting the intelligence of the voters. I’m confident I will be vindicated by the voters and the courts.”

Stavropoulos said he will fight the board’s decision in court.

Board President Audrey Hanson, one of two incumbents running for reelection, said the evidence shows Stavropoulos lives at a Hollywood address. She said several residents living on and around Walnut Avenue testified that Stavropoulos often visited the house but did not live there.