Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenter criticizes district email, accuses honored figure and offers $3 million for district property; board member objects
Summary
A public commenter criticized a district email recognizing a recently deceased public figure, made allegations about that person's conduct, and said he had written a $3,000,000 check to buy district property; board members objected to his religiously framed criticism during public comment.
At the Feb. 26 special meeting of the Burbank Unified School District Board of Education, public commenter Joel Schlossman criticized a district email recognizing a recently deceased public figure and said the superintendent and the board "owe an apology" to the Jewish community.
Schlossman called the person honored "a despicable person," accused him of "extortion" and "blackmail," and alleged the person "stole from his organization" and paid hush money. He also told the board he and his wife had written a $3,000,000 check to USD and expressed interest in purchasing property the district is preparing to sell, saying the offer was cash and without contingencies.
Several board members responded during the public-comment response period. Vice President Dr. Weisberg, who identified herself as a vegetarian earlier in the meeting, objected to Schlossman invoking Judaism to denigrate the deceased leader, calling the use of the religion in that way "pretty disgusting" and urging people to learn about the leader's civil-rights work. President Ponser Kamkar interrupted to keep the session from devolving into a back-and-forth.
No formal action was taken in closed session later in the meeting, and the board adjourned at 6:42 p.m.
(Reporters: the transcript records allegations made by a public commenter and board members' reactions; those allegations were not adjudicated during the meeting.)
