Glendale Unified School District

Glendale Unified School District has announced several new administrative staff members hired to replace those who have left, retired or transferred from the district. Dr. Dick Sheehan will take over the assistant superintendent of secondary schools, replacing the departing Dr. Greg Franklin. Sheehan comes from the Covina-Valley Unified School District where he recently served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction. John Garcia has been hired to replace retiring Cathy McMullen as assistant superintendent of human resources.

The board will review the district?s performance in the Great Southern California Shakeout, a state-wide disaster drill that took place last week. No vote is expected. WHAT TO EXPECT Administrators will explain the district?s strengths and weaknesses in reacting to the simulated magnitude 7.8 earthquake. ? The Glendale Unified School District might endure $8.8 million in losses if the Legislature approves the governor?s proposed $2.5-billion midyear budget cut to public education.

A private Armenian school that has been fighting to operate for nearly two years is seeking up to $6 million in damages from the city that it claims it suffered as a result of being temporarily shut down. Scholars Academic Foundation claims in its lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court that the city violated its rights to due process and caused economic harm when officials closed the school by “yellow-tagging” the building in February 2010. The school is seeking $2.75 million to $6 million in damages, according to court documents.

Gertrude Ness will celebrate her 106th birthday on April 22. She was born in 1906, and has lived in Glendale and Burbank since the early 1940s. She continues membership in four organizations - the Patrons Club, Sons of Norway, California Retired Teachers Assn. and Glendale Beautiful. Born in Milroy, Minn., Ness grew up on a farm and attended Minnesota State Teachers College for two years. She taught third grade, after-school band, orchestras and took a youth rhythm band to a prize-winning youth drum and bugle corps that performed throughout Minnesota from 1928 to 1941.

About a year ago, Councilman Ara Najarian moved four miles south from his home on a quiet, tree-lined street in the Montecito Park area in North Glendale to the denser city center. “I see the parking issue first-hand. I see the noise issue first-hand. I see the large-item pick-up issue first hand,” said Najarian, who was first elected to the council in 2005. “I've heard about these before, but until you're actually living there, you don't feel the pain that the others have.” In the past three decades, records show, only one council member has lived below the Ventura (134)

The League of Women Voters was founded in 1920, when passage of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing any citizen the right to vote regardless of their sex, appeared imminent. Anticipating approval of the amendment, members of the National American Woman Suffrage Assn. met to form the League of Women Voters to "finish the fight" and to work to end all discrimination against women, according to the league's website. The league gradually expanded its interests to include issues affecting the whole community.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Fifteen-year-old Mihran Houhannesyan raised his right hand, said a few words, and picked up his citizenship certificate moments later, getting a high-five and hug from his mother. But there was a problem. "I don't like the picture," Mihran said. No matter, the Glendale resident was granted citizenship Thursday in a ceremony of more than 110 people representing 28 countries, organizers said. "This is the paper," Mirhan's mother, Vardanush Houhannesyan, said.

GLENDALE — For the third time since March, the Glendale Teachers Assn. protested outside the Glendale Unified offices on Friday — an attempt to pressure the district to offer a fairer deal, organizers said. Bargaining between the Glendale Unified School District and Glendale Teachers Assn. for a new contract reached the last stage of state-led negotiations Friday, as both sides presented suitcases full of evidence to a neutral fact finder. "The facts are that the district has the money to keep the status quo for the next two years," union President Tami Carlson said.

I agree with Marlene Walker ("Think of the kids, not the money," June 17) that the age for children starting kindergarten should rise to 5 years old. A few more months of maturity can go a long way to help children adjust to the academics in Glendale Unified School District kindergartens. Contrary to Walker's statement that "kindergarten has much playtime and not too much learning," our kindergartens have become much more rigorous in order to comply with state standards. As a former kindergarten teacher and current substitute teacher for Glendale Unified, I can attest that much learning takes place, and playtime is limited during the kindergartner's day. What I disagree with the most are Walker's assumptions about why parents decide to start their children in kindergarten prior to age 5. Her statements about single mothers are negative and judgmental.

GLENDALE — A contract between the Glendale Unified School District and its union of janitors, instructional aides, secretaries and other employees was rejected Wednesday night by 46 votes. The tentative agreement would have saved the district $1.2 million through a mix of unpaid work furlough days. The one-year deal maintained fully funded medical benefits for more than 90% of union members, but was rejected, 242 to 196. With the deadline approaching for the school board to adopt next fiscal year's budget, up to 24 of the union's members are at risk of being laid off without the deal, school officials say. Officials would first take into account upcoming retirements before making a final recommendation, said John Garcia, assistant superintendent for human resources.

F or many members of Hoover High School's Class of 2010, the victory in the annual football game against Glendale High tops the list of senior-year memories. "There was so much energy the entire week leading up to the game," said senior Jessica Ruvalcaba. "Beating Glendale made the year even better." Friends and family filled the high school's football stadium Friday to honor the achievements of the nearly 500 seniors. Graduates donned purple and white caps and gowns and an assortment of colorful Hawaiian leis and honor cords as they marched into the stadium to the ceremonial sounds of "Pomp and Circumstance."

What is wrong with Americans? Most are unhappy with the way our country is going, but they do nothing. On Memorial Day, I was driving on one of Glendale's streets and I saw only three flags displayed in three or so miles. Then today, the paper tells me that less than 20% of registered voters voted in Tuesday's primary election! I had my flag displayed the entire Memorial Day weekend, and I was the first at my polling place to vote. I want change instead of warmed-over incumbents, but I can't do it alone.