GLENDALE : Gantus Announces School Board Bid
John Gantus, a Glendale attorney who has been active behind the scenes in local politics for several years, has announced that he will run for one of two seats on the Glendale school board that will be up for grabs in the city’s April municipal elections.
Gantus, 46, has gained local notoriety for his work representing the developer of the controversial Sleepy Hollow development and for working on the campaigns of City Councilwoman Mary Ann Plumley and other candidates.
He said he is running to help “take back local control of our schools.”
“Our schools have become total slaves to the state Legislature for their funding, and the programs the school district must provide,” Gantus said in a news release.
He said he would also support the conversion of certain school campuses for use as “neighborhood centers,” wherein the school serves as the center for educational and recreational activities for area residents.
Gantus, who has been a member of the city Board of Zoning Adjustments for five years, and his wife, Jo Ann, have four children between the ages of 7 and 15, all of whom attend private, religious schools.
“My children are in schools that best suit our family’s values for a strong, Christian educational environment. That is not for everyone, and definitely does not supplant the need for a strong public school system,” he said.
Incumbent school board members Blanche Greenwood and Sharon Beauchamp have not yet announced whether they will seek reelection April 4.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
