Peter Lippman [in his letter to the editor, Dec. 21, 2006] has waited nearly a quarter century to say, “I told you so,” but he was wrong then and he is wrong now. The recommendations of administrators are rejected when they fail to reflect the established priorities of the publicly elected school board. The years Lippman spent in SMMUSD were riven by employee strife and parents unhappy with the conservative cut-cut-cut approach to budget problems. Lippman left out-of-step with a more progressive school board that took a proactive approach to the budget crunch: turning surplus district property into long-term revenue, promoting an interdistrict transfer program to reverse declining enrollment, convincing the city of Santa Monica to grant millions of unrestricted dollars to maintain district-wide programs in music, health, reading and art, passing a parcel tax in a community where only one in ten households had a child in public school, and passing what was then the largest parcel tax in the state for the modernization and expansion of school facilities. Although those past boards represented opposing political factions, they worked hard to unite the community. Both SMRR and the Chamber of Commerce supported their efforts.
Malibu was capably represented during the ’80s and early ’90s by the likes of Dick Williams, Dan Ross, and my dear friend, Mary Kay Kamath. Those boards also worked cooperatively with employee groups, initiating a non-adversarial negotiating process that provided labor peace for two decades. Like today’s school board, we recognized that the District could not maintain its high achievement standards without the very best teachers and staff. With the dearth of affordable housing in Malibu and Santa Monica, talented young teachers resign from our district every year because they cannot afford to buy a home here. The Board did the right thing by agreeing to a decent salary increase for teachers and they will do what it takes to balance the budget.
Since the ’60s California has underfunded public education. The citizens of our district have repeatedly shown, by their votes and their personal efforts, that they want our schools to be funded at a level that provides students with opportunities beyond just the basics. We want to continue to attract the best teachers and administrators available. We, as citizens who continue to believe in the promise of public education for all, will continue to do our share to support this promise.
Connie Jenkins, former President
Santa Monica/Malibu Board of Education