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Roberta Grande Reynolds
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Roberta Grande Reynolds is an at-large member of the Burbank Unified School District Board of Education in California. She was first elected to the board in 2007.[1]
Reynolds faced five challengers in her bid for re-election to one of three at-large seats in the primary election on February 24, 2015. She received enough votes to win re-election without advancing to the general election.[2][3][4]
Biography
Reynolds was born and raised in Burbank, California. She attended and graduated from the Burbank Unified School District, as did her two daughters. Reynolds works as a pharmacist. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry from California State University at Northridge and her pharmacy degree from the University of Southern California.[5]
Elections
2015
Three of the five seats on the Burbank Unified School District Board of Education were up for general election on April 14, 2015. A primary election was held on February 24, 2015.
Incumbents Dave Kemp and Ted Bunch did not file to run for re-election, leaving incumbent Roberta Grande Reynolds to run against the following five challengers in the primary election: Armond Aghakhanian, Steve Ferguson, Vahe Hovanessian, Gregory Sousa and Jesse Tangkhpanya.
Grande, Aghakhanian, Ferguson and Sousa received the most votes in the primary election. Grande and Ferguson won election to the board outright as they received more than 50 percent of the ballots cast in the primary. Aghakhanian and Sousa had to advance to the general election on April 14, 2015.
Aghakhanian defeated Sousa in the general election to gain a seat on the board.
Results
| Burbank Unified School District, At-Large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Roberta Grande Reynolds Incumbent |
24.3% | 5,362 | |
| Nonpartisan | Steve Ferguson |
23.1% | 5,107 | |
| Nonpartisan | Armond Aghakhanian |
16.8% | 3,710 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gregory Sousa |
13.8% | 3,049 | |
| Nonpartisan | Vahe Hovanessian | 13.5% | 2,971 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jesse Tangkhpanya | 8.5% | 1,886 | |
| Total Votes | 22,085 | |||
| Source: Burbank City Clerk's Office, "Final Results are Tabulated for Burbank’s 2015 Primary Nominating Election," accessed March 9, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Reynolds filed Form 470 with the Burbank City Clerk's Office to indicate she would not spend or receive more than $1,000 in this election. Because of that, she did not have to file any additional campaign finance reports.[6]
Endorsements
Reynolds received endorsements from the Burbank Teachers Association, the California School Employee Association of Burbank and the Burbank chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America.[7][8]
2011
| Burbank Unified School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2011 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Dave L. Kemp |
29.3% | 5,057 | |
| Nonpartisan | Roberta Grande Reynolds |
26.1% | 4,508 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ted Bunch |
25.4% | 4,388 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gregory Bragg | 19.3% | 3,333 | |
| Total Votes | 17,286 | |||
| Source: Smart Voter, "Board Member; Burbank Unified School District Voter Information: February 22, 2011 Election," accessed January 13, 2015 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Burbank Leader questionnaire
On December 22, 2014, the Burbank Leader published a candidate profile of Reynolds. That profile contained the following questionnaire. The Burbank Leader's questions are bolded to provide clarification. The full candidate profile can be found here.[9]
| “ | Have you run for office previously?
I have run for office twice: Why are you running? Experience counts. We are facing many issues in Burbank, including implementation of the Common Core, managing a marginal increase in state funding, facilities and technology development through bond funds and opportunities for expanded partnerships in Career Technical Education/College Readiness. At this time we will be developing new district leadership with a new superintendent. I am running to offer my experience with continued leadership to create a smooth transition. What is the most important issue facing BUSD? Academic achievement is our core business. The most important issue facing BUSD is the implementation of the new state standards in the Common Core in the face of only a marginal increase in our funding that will return us to the funding levels that we experienced in 2007, before the fiscal crisis. We have many, many needs including restoration of smaller class sizes, professional development and expanded use of technology to successfully implement the new state standards. Name a recent issue or policy the current board has decided that you agree with. Why? Perhaps the most controversial issue in the past year is the Charter School Petition. The Board acted to deny the petition and I completely agree with the final decision. The intent of the legislature for charter schools was to provide for innovation in our public schools. The petitioners did not present a plan that had a reasonable chance of success. Therefore the denial of the petition was appropriate. Name a recent issue or policy the current board has decided that you disagree with. Why? The most notable issue on which I voted “no” was on the matter of the Bond. Although I believed that we absolutely needed the improvements in both facilities and technology, I was uncertain that it was the right time to put the matter before the community. The state was in fiscal crisis. As a fiscal conservative, I was fearful that risking an unsuccessful bond effort would hurt the chances for success in a more favorable fiscal environment. On this issue, I was proven to be wrong. What is the best thing about how BUSD is currently run? Over the past almost 8 years that I have served on the Board, the BUSD has continuously developed systems and processes which are collaborative and transparent. We have a district staff who listens carefully to the community, the site staff, the parents and the students. This spirit of collaboration is the best possible way to make decisions. This spirit is now embodied in the law through the Local Control Accountability Plan. This process provides for shared decision making with our community. What is the worst thing about how BUSD is currently run? During the course of the fiscal crisis, many cost reduction strategies had to be implemented. Since almost 85% of our budget is in salary and benefits, the only place where significant reductions could be made was in our human capital. Although attempts were made to keep those reductions as far away from the classroom as possible, reductions of any support service impacts the classroom. Doing more with less has stretched all our staff. With increased funding, we need to restore positions. What programs or areas do you believe deserve priority or additional spending? Why? Staff development, counselors, programs for special needs students in the full spectrum from students with disabilities to the gifted and talented, continued implementation of the Arts for All Plan, expansion of world language, career technical education/college readiness, expansion of instructional technology and improved facilities are all priorities. Academic Achievement happens only by balanced attention to the instructional, physical and social/emotional needs of our students. What qualities should BUSD's next superintendent have? • High integrity |
” |
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Roberta + Grande + Reynolds + Burbank + Unified + School + District"
See also
- Burbank Unified School District, California
- Burbank Unified School District elections (2015)
- First openly gay official elected to Burbank school board, two candidates advance to April election
- April school board elections in California and South Dakota see increase in voter turnout (April 15, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Burbank Unified School District, "Meet the Board," accessed January 14, 2015
- ↑ Burbank City Clerk's Office, "Candidates Information," accessed January 13, 2015
- ↑ Burbank City Clerk's Office, "2015 Election Results," accessed February 24, 2015
- ↑ Burbank Leader, "Reynolds, Ferguson elected to school board," February 25, 2015
- ↑ The Burbank Leader, "School board candidate Roberta Grande Reynolds," January 29, 2011
- ↑ Burbank City Clerk's Office, "ROBERTA GRANDE REYNOLDS," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ My Burbank, "Burbank Teachers Association Endorses Three Candidates," January 6, 2015
- ↑ Burbank Leader, "Candidates win fans in high places," January 27, 2015
- ↑ Burbank Leader, "BUSD Candidate: Roberta Reynolds," December 22, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2015 Burbank Unified School District Elections | |
| Los Angeles County, California | |
| Election date: | Primary election - February 24, 2015 General election - April 14, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Roberta Grande Reynolds • Armond Aghakhanian • Steve Ferguson • Vahe Hovanessian • Gregory Sousa • Jesse Tangkhpanya |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
