Burbank Adult School touts enrollment jump and new vocational programs, asks board for clinical site help

Burbank Unified trustees heard a presentation April 9 on the growth and changing focus of the Burbank Adult School, whose leaders said they enrolled 4,327 unduplicated students this year and are shifting from a “traditional” adult school model to a career and technical training center.

Interim Superintendent Oscar Macias introduced the item and invited Adult School director Juan Noguera and Principal Pablo Vincher to brief the board on new courses, outreach and next steps. Noguera said the adult school now offers tuition-free programs, funded in part through the California Adult Education Program (CAPE), in areas that include English language acquisition, GED/HiSET preparation, information technology, medical careers and culinary arts.

Vincher said the school’s expansion has emphasized programs that lead directly to jobs. He cited specific certificate completions over the last two years — for example, more than 120 pharmacy technician certificates and multiple cohorts in medical billing and coding, clinical medical assistant and certified nursing assistant classes — and said the school recently began pursuing a vocational nursing program. “We are applying to bring the vocational nursing program,” Vincher said, noting the Board of Nursing had accepted the packets the district submitted and that the district had already paid required fees and hired at least one instructor. He cautioned, however, that clinical placements are required to run the program.

Board members asked how many recent high-school graduates move into adult-school programs and how the district coordinates outreach. Vincher said the school only recently began systematically collecting that data but that counselors now participate in high-school events to promote pathways. He credited increased outreach via social media and partner schools for much of the recent enrollment gain — roughly double the level he observed three and a half years ago.

Adult school leaders also raised several operational needs. They asked the board for help identifying hospital or clinical partners to provide hands‑on training, described repeated incidents of unauthorized parking and unlocked gates that reduce space for students, and urged the district to explore reduced-fare transit cards so students can access training more affordably. Board members and staff said facilities staff would review parking and signage and suggested taking transportation requests to the city council to explore partnerships.

Vincher and Noguera urged the board to consider investments that would broaden vocational offerings, including surgical technician courses and additional bungalows to expand classroom space on campus. The presentation concluded with board members thanking the adult school staff and encouraging follow-up on clinical partnerships, parking enforcement and transit options.