I’ve tried to keep my nose out of this, but having been a teacher at Malibu High School for almost 20 years, I can no longer watch our limited assets drained by the wishes of a few people without responding.
I was never an avid supporter of the field lights, but in retrospect it has been a positive addition to the school, especially for the students. Parents were willing to take on the expense and there was overwhelming support at the school and in the community. Now, in order to appease a few who cannot tolerate a high school, middle school, and elementary school in their neighborhood, it has been decided that we, the taxpayers, will have to spend $40,000 per year, forever. Why? That’s the cost of taking down the lights and storing them on campus during the summer. The poles will remain, but the crane will come in twice a year, once to take the lights down, and again to put them back up. This cost, coupled with the hundreds of thousand of dollars of BB tax funds that are going to litigation and architectural redraws over the parking lot lights, is crippling any chance of modernizing our school in the near future. Unfortunately, the same group of neighbors who are bringing about these lawsuits and redraws are costing us $40,000 per year to win an argument. That amount of money could buy new instruments, computers, teachers aides, desks, theater and track repairs, etc. We don’t have a surplus to cover those needs. This cost is financially breaking an already underfunded school. Enough is enough!
This school has been here for many years, probably long before most of the disgruntled neighbors moved here. When Malibu Park became Malibu High School in the early ’90s, Malibu students were finally able to attend school locally, instead of commuting every day to Santa Monica. Since then, the majority of parents in Malibu have sent their kids through the school, and the school, for the most part, has served them well.
When a school is supporting seven years of education (sixth through 12th) and thousands of students over the years, some infrastructure changes have to happen. Unfortunately, we run into roadblocks from the very community we support and serve. The school has always made an effort to keep a low profile physically, and has also tried to respect the community by making sure our students behave appropriately on their way to and from school. We serve 1,200 students per year and all the parents who come with them. There is no argument that we send a large majority of each graduating class to some of the best colleges in the nation. This school is the reason many people have moved here and also the reason why many would like to. This school anchors the community, it’s the mortar. Otherwise, Malibu is just beautiful coastline and retail stores. Our school needs to be fully functional and enjoy all of the infrastructure of a great high school. Every year we go above and beyond academically. Now, let’s physically finish the school and not let the power struggles of a few property owners drain an entire city’s school budget.
Another problem with last week’s letter is the swipe at AMPS. [Response to letter titled “Fund facts,” published Sept. 19] I have worked on AMPS for the last year and I can say what’s going on with AMPS has nothing whatsoever to do with the lights and construction or any upcoming politics. So we should not lump these two separate issues together. Fortunately, it will take far more than a handful of people in the community to tarnish what AMPS is trying to do. On the other hand, a small group of people have completely ground to a halt any infrastructure progress at Malibu High. If you look ahead, the unintended consequences of this dispute could do serious damage.
—Bill Bixler,
Malibu High School Instrumental Music