Oppose the petition
Have you heard the news? Citing irreconcilable differences, Malibu is seeking a divorce from Santa Monica.
After over 100 years of providing for the joint public education of the children in both cities through the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), Malibu has filed a petition to form its own school district with the Los Angeles County committee which reviews such requests.
And those differences do appear irreconcilable, which is why the SMMUSD board supports a separation as long as the district’s shared resources are divided fairly and equitably.
However, the current Malibu proposal, which will be considered April 17th, skews unjustly in favor of a Malibu district. If implemented it would require immediate teacher layoffs and cuts to services and programs in the new Santa Monica school system. And within five years Malibu would be spending $20,000 more per pupil annually than Santa Monica.
Malibu children and families deserve an independent Unified School District
Apr. 09, 2021 at 11:00 am
Karen Farrer
The hyphen in the title of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District says it all. That punctuation mark symbolizes the uneasy tension of trying to connect two distinctly different, non-contiguous communities into a single school system. It also reminds us in Malibu that we are often an afterthought for Santa-Monica-centric school district decision-makers when it comes to educating our community’s children. We are out of sight, and frequently out of mind.
It is time we let each community govern its own schools and focus on its own needs and aspirations. On Saturday, April 17 we are presenting to the Los Angeles County Office of Education Committee on District Reorganization our petition to split from SM-MUSD and form our own school district. Our feasibility study shows convincingly that both Santa Monica and Malibu will benefit by being separate.
Council asks for open space preservation at school sites
Apr. 05, 2021 at 6:00 am
HISTORIC BELMAR PARK: The project is expected to be at Pico and 4th Street. Courtesy image.
City Hall is asking school officials to rethink plans that could reduce public access to fields and open space on school grounds.
Council’s decision to send a letter outlining their concerns was prompted by a February presentation to the Recreation and Parks Commission by SMMUSD officials. At that meeting, Carey Upton, Chief Operations Officer of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District described projects that were recently completed, are still in-construction, or planned for the future at SMMUSD schools.
SMMUSD holds rally to talk unification - Santa Monica Daily Press smdp.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smdp.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SMMUSD staff call for Hero Pay - Santa Monica Daily Press smdp.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smdp.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.