Molly ShoreDespite a budget shortfall, Burbank Unified...

Molly Shore

Despite a budget shortfall, Burbank Unified School District Supt.

Gregory Bowman believes city schools continue to meet the challenge

of educating students who perform better overall in the national and

state percentiles in reading, language and math tests.

“This is outstanding progress for a district that six years ago

was just beginning to work on developing academic content standards,”

Bowman told an estimated 200 guests during the first State of the

Schools Breakfast on Thursday at The Castaway.

The event, presented by The Burbank Community Foundation and the

Burbank Partnership Advisory Council, paid tribute to the more than

400 community businesses that give of their time and money to the

district’s schools.

Seven local students received vocational scholarships from the

foundation: Sarah Estrada, Monterey High School; Armina Grigorian,

Burbank High School; Wendy Inman, Monterey High School; Edward

Manasyan, Burbank High School; Carmen Monzon, John Burroughs High

School; Christine Yuson, Burbank High School and James Zilbert, John

Burroughs High School.

School board President Trish Burnett introduced Teacher of the

Year nominees Alyson Edge, Burbank High School; Barbara Forletta,

Monterey High School; John Peebles, John Burroughs High School; Lynn

Rothacher, John Muir Middle School; Josephine Tidalgo, Luther Burbank

Middle School and Nick Wilhelm, Jordan Middle School.

“When you have parents, teachers, community leaders, businesses,

the whole community in the room, you have a wonderful opportunity to

recognize the importance of our youth,” said Lisa Rawlins, chairwoman

of the advisory council. “They are the link that binds us all.”

Bowman, who delivered the keynote address, implored state

legislators and Gov. Gray Davis to make changes to restore public

education’s financial well-being, saying the district cannot continue

academic growth if it has to rely on current state funding.