MAILBAG - Nov. 18, 2008
Maybe crossing guards are answer
An article appeared in your Nov. 6 issue about 11-year-old Meri Nalbandyan, a Toll Middle School student who was struck and killed by a motorist after a parent dropped her off for school (“School safety under scrutiny”). Police are still trying to piece together clues about the collision and figure out who was at fault. The fact that the driver stopped after striking a girl and remained at the crash scene sounded good.
While the collision is still being investigated, a couple of statements were made by authorities that both the driver and the pedestrian were at fault. The girl was crossing the street at a designated crosswalk. The driver was looking away. All drivers should be extra careful when passing a school zone, and not looking at the road while driving does not sound careful at all. And how can you hit a child, not notice her, and run her over? All these facts just show that the driver was not paying attention to the road.
With all that said, I really think a crosswalk assistant must be used at every school’s crosswalk. Maybe inattentive drivers will notice an actual person in a bright yellow uniform with a “stop” sign in their hands and let the kids safely cross the streets and get to school.
ANASTASIYA NOVIKAVA
Tujunga
Board member is a crusader for schools
Friday’s Community Commentary about California budget cuts for our schools written by Glendale Unified School District board member Chuck Sambar (“District will suffer greatly from big cuts”) demonstrated his unique perspective. Having served many years as a teacher, principal and as an elected official, Sambar knows education and budgets from the inside out.
He cares deeply about the economic stability of the schools, yet he balances that with his dedication to excellence in schools and recognition and rewards for outstanding teachers and staff.
The positions he has taken over the years to protect all of the combined interests of the district’s residents, teachers and students have occasionally resulted in criticism from those who may not have been able to see the big picture.
We need to thank him today.
Budget cuts are coming, but the district is in a better position than many other districts in California.
In his commentary, Sambar reminds us that he and others on the school board made the difficult decisions to maintain the fiscal integrity of the district by placing funds into reserves, so that in this time of economic crisis and state budget cuts, Glendale students will not be as adversely affected as those in other school districts.
Cuts will have to be made, of course, but they will not be as deep as they would have been without responsible planning.
What Sambar does not say is that his own personal dedication to the district has made a significant impact.
As a teacher in the district for 15 years, I saw him promote academic excellence for our students, serve as a role model for our teachers and principals and then, as a board member, stand firm on economic issues to ultimately ensure the financial health of the district.
Too bad our state and federal government officials haven’t made similar insightful decisions.
JULIE DAVEY
Duarte
EDITOR’S NOTE: Davey is a retired Glendale High School teacher.
Scam article came in the nick of time
A Glendale couple were accused of an apartment-leasing scam on Craigslist. Andrew Femino and Caley McClary face four counts of second-degree commercial burglary. They allegedly put the rent advertisement on Craigslist to receive deposits from the renters. Glendale police discovered the couple’s post. The district attorney’s office requested bail at $200,000 each.
I read this article Friday morning. Before that day, my friend and I were looking for a room on Craigslist for my friend. After we read this article, we were very careful. This kind of article is very helpful because people think this kind of case is not serious, and that’s why too many people get scammed.
Since many look at the commercial first before they decide to buy or rent something, many people offer a fake opportunity that is attractive. Thus, when we try to look for something, we need to look for it thoroughly and need to speculate if there is anything related to commercial burglary. I think police should be more strict about this type of crime to prevent the same crime from taking place.
EUNSUNG JI
Glendale