Candidates state their cases in Glendale Unified’s first-ever district-based election
In the race for the Glendale Unified School Board, five residents will vie for three seats up for grabs in the district’s first-ever district-based election on April 4.
In District B, incumbent Greg Krikorian, a school board member since 2001, will run to keep his seat against newcomer Vardan Stepanyan to represent northwest Glendale.
This election marks Stepanyan’s first run for school board, although he’s not new to being involved in the district.
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Stepanyan serves on the board of directors for the Glendale Educational Foundation and has sponsored student essay contests in the past.
If elected, one of his primary goals will be to foster parents’ involvement in schools.
“I think there is room for improvement. Based on meetings I’ve had with district residents, they’re willing to participate, [but] there’s no mechanism for them to get involved. We need to help the community participate actively,” he said.
Krikorian has said his continued role on the board will bring stability to the district.
“I think [there are] a lot of areas where we’re going to need a steady hand and a steady leader to address these challenges to maintain our public schools,” he said when he announced his candidacy.
In District C, incumbent Armina Gharpetian is running unopposed.
First elected to the board in 2013, she said she will represent all Glendale Unified families, including those outside of District C, which spans from the Oakmont Country Club to East Colorado Street, and includes the Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood.
Gharpetian said her ongoing involvement on the board will be valuable when it comes to tackling the district’s most pressing issues, including increasing student achievement, addressing the district’s structural deficit and spending Measure S bond funds.
In District D, Joal Ryan will face off against Shant Sahakian.
Both residents grew up attending local schools and have held active roles in Glendale organizations for years.
Ryan and Sahakian also have robust websites listing their goals as prospective board members.
On her website, more than a dozen bullet points illustrate where Ryan stands on issues from her opposition to potentially losing the Sagebrush territory in La Cañada to La Cañada Unified to wanting to better arts education in Glendale schools.
As a Mark Keppel parent, she led an effort to raise more than $80,000 to support arts education at that campus. As a board member, she said she’ll represent District D families, who reside in the Scholl Canyon, Adams Hill and Glenoaks Canyon neighborhoods.
“As a member of the first-ever board with geographical representation, I will make sure our District D schools get our fair share of the millions of dollars of bond money spent by [Glendale Unified] every year to support new construction, teachers, students and staff,” she states on her website.
Sahakian currently serves on several groups, including as president of Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation and chair of the Glendale Youth Alliance.
He recently won a unanimous endorsement from each member of the Glendale Community College board of trustees.
His vision for Glendale Unified involves, in part, expanding the district’s dual-language immersion programs, offering more college and career pathway courses and providing students with financial literacy education.
“My goal is to ensure that the high-quality education I was provided as a student is strengthened, improved and modernized for the next generation of Glendale Unified School District students,” he said when he announced his candidacy.
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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com
Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
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