The petition process has created a conversation by stakeholders and illustrates our community’s commitment to preserve, protect and enhance our local schools. An unprecedented 100% of current Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School K-5 teachers support this charter conversion and have been integral in creating the petition, which serves as the governing document for the school. One of the legislative intents of the Charter Schools Act is to provide teachers with more professional opportunities and direct control over the curriculum. Who better to make choices about what our children are learning in the classroom than the ones who are doing the teaching and interacting with students on a day to day basis?
Another intention of charter legislation is to inspire positive competition among all schools. Malibu’s public schools have distinguished themselves as special, high achieving, and unique for many years. Parents and students alike take great pride in whichever school they attend. Positive competition challenges all of our schools to continually evolve and improve for the benefit of all students.
We’ve discovered through this process that many in our community support the concept of giving families an option of 6th grade in the elementary setting. This option is not being suggested to purposefully take away jobs at the middle school, but rather to offer an alternative choice for children. By providing a choice, we hope to keep families in the public school system long term. This will help combat the trend of departure to private schools and declining enrollment. Ultimately, more children will stay in the system and attend MHS, actually saving jobs.
Point Dume school has often been criticized for having a lack of diversity. However, we have no control over the current boundary restrictions. As a charter school, we will be able to expand our boundaries, allowing attendance by students from outside of the district. We are excited to have the opportunity to pursue an increase in diversity on our campus and we have an outreach plan in place to realize this goal.
Now is the time to give this community some local control, support and encouragement. We need to provide opportunities for excellent public education for all students, keep schools open and viable, and offer choices to families within our neighborhoods and beyond.
We hope more people in our community will read our charter petition, become involved in the conversation and inform themselves about the pressing issues in education today. Films like “Race to Nowhere” and “Waiting for Superman” illustrate what is truly at stake here, a generation of children. We must continue to advocate for our children and to provide them with the best educational opportunities to ensure their future success.
PDMSS Board of Directors: Niel Armstrong, Nanette McNulty, Anne Payne, Robyn Ross, Laurie Buchan Serafino, Roohi Stack, Ali Thonson