Bunch, Krekorian elected to BUSD

Molly Shore

After a two-year span in which the Burbank Unified School District

saw a budget shortfall and the firing of its superintendent, much of

the community called for a change Tuesday.

Voters elected Paul Krekorian and Ted Bunch to serve on the school

board for the next four years.

The two men join Dave Kemp, the only candidate to win a seat in

February’s primary election.

Krekorian, who received 4,696 votes, said his qualifications as

an attorney advising businesses through troubled times will serve him

well. Because of less money from the state, Krekorian, 42, said it

will be necessary to look for opportunities in which nonprofits and

businesses could support some of the programs in city schools.

“I am very privileged that the people of Burbank have shown their

confidence in me in these difficult times for education,” Krekorian

said.

Although he was not endorsed by the Burbank Teachers’ Assn.,

retired teacher Bunch, 64, outdistanced candidate Larry Applebaum,

who did get the BTA’s endorsement. Bunch received 4,398 votes.

“I feel very moved by all the people who helped me,” Bunch said.

He thanked his wife Nohemy and his campaign manager, Carol Simpson,

for helping him run his successful campaign.

BTA co-president Kim Allender said his group feels vindicated

because the three incumbents up for reelection -- Elena Hubbell,

Richard Raad and Mike McDonald -- needed to be replaced, he said.

Calling it a clean campaign, Allender said, “We feel excellent about

it.”

McDonald, who survived the primary election, finished a distant

fourth in the run-off with 2,269 votes. He was unavailable for

comment.

The newly elected board members will join incumbents Trish Burnett

and Connie Lackey on the school board May 15.

Bunch said he will work to reintroduce vocational classes into the

high school curriculum, explaining that the number of students who

need this training is great enough to demand an expanded program.

As the votes began to come in, the numbers indicated that

Applebaum was faltering in his bid to secure a seat. The numbers

stayed steady throughout the evening -- somewhat of a surprise since

Applebaum had tallied almost 100 votes more than Bunch in the Feb. 25

primary.

When the final numbers were tabulated Applebaum, with 3,943 votes,

said he was glad he had the opportunity to bring to the attention of

the voters the issues tantamount to his campaign, especially the need

for music and arts.

“I accomplished what I wanted to do,” Applebaum said, adding that

he was pleased to see the incumbents unseated.