BURBANK : Council Saves Speech Program at School

Burbank schools have cut two teaching positions because of lower than expected enrollment, officials said. But a plan to slash a nationally competitive speech program at Burbank High School was saved by the City Council at the last minute.

The discrepancy between projections and actual numbers of students enrolled is the largest in seven years, Supt. Arthur Pierce said Thursday. The current district population of 13,200 students is 163 students more than last year, he said, but still 210 fewer than had been projected.

The changing numbers have meant letting go of one teacher each at Joaquin Miller Elementary School and John Muir Middle School, as well as two teachers at Burbank High School.

However, at Bret Harte Elementary school, one teacher was added because of an increased enrollment, Pierce said.

The shuffling of teachers at Burbank High School, where enrollment was 90 students short, led to dropping the speech program there last week.

But the students came out to fight for the speech program, and persuaded the City Council Tuesday to approve up to $20,000 in a special appropriation to it.

Both city and school officials predict the speech program may still end next year.