I am writing in response to last week’s article by Carolanne Sudderth in the Ocean Park Gazette and also printed in The Malibu Times. The article deals with superintendent John Deasy’s proposal to the Board of Education regarding acceptance of gifts to our schools. While the author did not directly misquote me, the content of my message was abbreviated. I wish to clarify my views on this issue because it is critical that we maintain a sense of community while providing for the needs of all of the children in our district.
The superintendent has proposed a new policy to the board of education that mandates a percentage of all donations to the schools (the proposed amount is 15%) be placed in an Equity Fund at the district. The revenue from this fund would be distributed back to the schools based on a weighted formula that reflects the number of children on free and reduced lunch (the poverty index for the district), the number of Special Education children, and the number of English Language Learners. According to the proposal, each school would then receive their weighted amount in the form of a block grant to be used at the discretion of the school site. This strategy adheres to the district’s philosophy of site-based management.
Although some of the specifics of the new policy are not perfect, I am supportive of the proposed gift policy for a number of reasons. As a past PTA president and fundraising chairperson, I am acutely aware of the pressure that parent volunteers face attempting to raise adequate funds to provide basic educational necessities for our students. I am always amazed at the level of commitment by our Malibu parents with respect to their energy, talent and generosity. I am equally amazed by the dedication of the parents in Santa Monica. We are all faced with the daunting task of providing our children with an excellent education in a state that does not adequately fund their educational needs. Parent volunteers at various school sites in Santa Monica face budget challenges without the benefit of our demographics. It is a fairly safe bet that the four Title I elementary schools in Santa Monica have little chance of improving the size of the contributions they receive from the parents at their schools. It is also safe to assume that the businesses in these communities are not able to make substantial donations. These Title I schools will receive the largest grants under the proposed weighted formula.
For the past several years, I’ve had the opportunity and the privilege of serving on executive board of the district’s PTA council, as well as the District Advisory Committee for the Parcel Tax. During my tenure, I have worked closely with parent and community volunteers from other schools within the district. It is my experience that the parents and other volunteers within the city of Santa Monica work tirelessly to improve the education of all children in the district. In addition to activities at their site, the parents in Santa Monica dedicate their time and energy to fundraising for SMMUSD’s Education Foundation which has two established endowments: one for the arts and one for literacy. Funds from these endowments are distributed to all schools in the form of grants for specific programs. Every school in Malibu that applies is eligible for these annual grants. Parents from Malibu are encouraged to participate in the Education Foundation both as board members and as donors. Board members for the Ed Foundation have made numerous appeals to our parents to encourage participation. Yet, largely due to the distance between our cities, very few parents from Malibu have been willing to commit time and resources to these district-wide fundraising efforts.
In addition to their commitment to the Education Foundation, Santa Monica citizens are active politically. Believing that their best financial resource is the City of Santa Monica, many community volunteers actively negotiate with the City Council to provide annual contributions to the SMMUSD general fund. Citizens of Santa Monica show up in force for city budget meetings and have formed a political action committee to raise funds for education and advocate for all children in the district. Last year, the contribution from Santa Monica totaled $5.2 million. Since the school district distributes these funds equitably, Malibu schools received over $1 million dollars from the city of Santa Monica. The city of Malibu, while generous with last year’s $380,000 donation to the district, does not currently have the revenue stream to make donations of the same magnitude.
I am disturbed by the divisiveness that exists within our own community over this issue. I hear arguments that this policy will discourage large donations to our individual schools. I remain confident that the opposite is true. I hope that the facts listed above will give readers the information required to support the modest 15% “spread the wealth” approach. Our Malibu parents will continue to donate time and resources to our schools because they know that superior education for all benefits all. Historically the parents of Malibu have been focused on efforts at their individual school sites. This lack of participation in the district is in no way due to apathy or lack of concern but rather a stretch of PCH that seems endless at times. However, in spite of the geographic and demographic differences, we are a Unified School District. We have the talent and the resources to create a culture of giving that will ensure equal opportunities for all of the students in our district. Regardless of the outcome of the Board of Education vote on the gift policy, Superintendent Deasy has created a climate for communication that never existed before.
Kathy Wisnicki