Superintendent John Paramo

Dear Burbank Community:

Summer has always been a time of reflection for me, especially now as your Superintendent. Looking back at the past year, much of our focus and energy was dedicated to addressing our budget and the fiscal challenges facing most school districts in California. Unfortunately, I do not foresee significant changes for the coming school year. School funding challenges and district budget deficits continue to mount across the state, particularly for districts that do not qualify for additional funding based on specific student populations. Nonetheless, we will persist in demonstrating our resilience by weathering these challenges and working together to provide the best education for our students, driven by our personal commitment to their future.

As we embark on the new school year, I pledge to communicate early and often about the state of our budget. I will continue to engage with all our educational partners to ensure that any decisions are made transparently. Our commitment to openness is unwavering, and we want you to feel informed and involved in the decisions that affect our students, teachers, and staff. My goal is to allow that work to happen in the background, focusing instead on exceptional teaching and learning. Specifically, we need to monitor and assess our primary students' early literacy. Research shows that our students must be reading at grade level by the third grade, or they risk struggling as they progress academically. Similarly, middle school math proficiency is critical. When we send our eighth graders to high school, they should be prepared to complete both semesters of Algebra 1 successfully. If we fail at this task, our students will struggle to meet A through G eligibility for college. Lastly, our high school students must graduate with a viable path to college, a certification program, a trade or apprenticeship, the military, or a career. These are tangible goals that can be measured and will be our focus as an educational community. Our district and site leadership understand these goals and are committed to making them a reality.

Before we can challenge our students academically, we need to ensure they feel safe, supported, and seen. Research consistently shows that student academic success is intrinsically tied to their social-emotional health and sense of safety. For that reason, the Burbank Unified School District is doubling down on our commitment to eradicating hate speech in our schools. There is absolutely no room for discrimination, hate, or bigotry in our district. It is not difficult to be kind! While we are not in the business of changing the opinions and beliefs of our families and students, no one has the right to be unkind in word or deed. No student should have to face hate speech at school that is based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, or the like. Our kids need to enter the classroom equipped to learn the lesson of the day without being distracted by personal attacks. Each of our students is perfect just the way they are, and they will be accepted and welcomed as such. District leadership, site leadership, and the Board of Education are unwavering in this commitment.

As we embark on this new school year, I want to remind you of our relentless commitment to student success. We are dedicated to transparent, consistent communication, academic excellence, and student growth. I expect great things this year for each of our students, and I will do my best to ensure their success.

John Paramo, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Burbank Unified School District

****************************************************************************************

Superintendent's Office Staff
 

John Paramo, Ed.D.
Superintendent

  Cindy Quiterio
  Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and Board of Education

  (818) 729-4422

  cindyquiterio@burbankusd.org