Students, teachers and parents urge Burbank Unified board to preserve assistant principal role

Students, staff and parents packed public comment at the Burbank Unified School District board meeting on Feb. 12 to urge trustees not to eliminate the assistant principal for athletics and activities at John Burroughs High School.

Dozens of student speakers — including Haley Huang, ASB president at John Burroughs High School — described the position as central to school life, saying the administrator coordinates athletics, visual and performing arts productions, student government and major events and provides everyday mentorship. "When essential elements of that system are diminished, there can be lasting impacts on students, programs, and campus life as a whole," Huang said during public comment.

Students recounted routine examples of the administrator’s presence at games, rehearsals and school events, and credited him with de‑escalating conflicts and supporting student leaders. Multiple speakers gave specific program numbers and anecdotes: a student reported that more than half of John Burroughs’ student body is directly represented through activities that position supports, and teachers listed enrollment figures for choirs, athletic teams and arts programs to underline the workload of activities supervision.

Teacher and staff speakers echoed students’ concerns. Sarah Schwartz, president of the Burbank Teachers Association, told the board the proposed personnel reductions in agenda items 12c and 12d would reduce trusted adults on campuses and urged district leaders to seek state grants or other funding to soften the impact.

Superintendent Dr. Macias acknowledged the difficulty of the conversations and praised the student voice, saying the district welcomes continued dialogue about the budget and staffing. Trustees discussed the staffing recommendation later in the meeting and, after hearing public comment and Budget Advisory Committee input, agreed to table the certificated and classified reduction resolutions to the March 5 meeting so staff and the committee could further review alternatives and timelines tied to the March 15 fiscal deadline.

The board did not take final action to eliminate the John Burroughs assistant principal position during the Feb. 12 meeting; instead trustees directed staff to continue analysis and community discussion and to return with more options at the next meeting.