Board President Oscar de la Torre wanted to decrease the amount designated to Malibu by $1 million so more money could go to Santa Monica’s John Adams Middle School.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
Oscar de la Torre, president of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education, on Thursday proposed taking $1 million off the $14 million earmark for the Malibu middle school project so the amount for John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica could be increased. It was a similar move to how the board in October originally eliminated $14 million from the total construction money designated for work at Malibu High in favor of increasing the total for two Santa Monica schools.
However, De la Torre did not garner much support from his colleagues on his proposal, and his motion failed. The full Malibu middle school funding was approved by a 5-1 vote, with Board Member Maria Leon-Vazquez casting the dissenting vote and de la Torre abstaining.
The board decision also designated $12 million for John Adams and $16 million for Lincoln Middle School, also located in Santa Monica. The money approved for the three schools will come from the Measure BB bond fund, which was approved by voters in 2006. All three middle school designations are for specific projects determined by the district staff and a consultant.
De la Torre said he was troubled that John Adams, which he said has a high number of low-income students, was receiving the least amount of funding.
“It’s not in accordance with the principle of equity,” de la Torre said. “And that’s something that I have a real concern with.”
He added, “I don’t think there are too many schools in our community where kids are attending whose mothers were killed in drive-by shootings. That’s a real story, a real fact of a young man I know at John Adams School right now. Those are the types of issues that we face.”
De la Torre proposed taking $1 million from Malibu High and another $1 million from Lincoln to give a $2 million increase to John Adams. “Equity doesn’t mean equality, and sometimes we have to give in order to achieve equity in our community,” de la Torre said.
He did not specify what projects that money could be used for. Board member Ralph Mechur then asked De la Torre if, rather than taking money from the other schools, the increase could be accomplished through taking money from the unallocated Measure BB money. De la Torre agreed to this, but he was still only able to get support from Leon-Vazquez.
Several board members said they felt uncomfortable designating money toward the school with no specific projects in mind. Board Vice President Jose Escarce, who specified he favors equity, said he would prefer to vote on more funding for John Adams at a later meeting on a “thoughtful basis” after the district staff had a chance to analyze the issue.
Board member Kathy Wisnicki said, “I don’t want to allocate money for the sake of allocating money.”
Leon-Vazquez said it was important to support John Adams because many middle class families who live in that area refuse to send their children to the school because of its condition.
De la Torre’s proposal failed with a 4-3 vote, with Mechur, Leon-Vazquez and De la Torre supporting it.
When it was clear De la Torre’s proposal was not going to pass, he said, “After this vote happens, the message in the community will be that John Adams Middle School got short-changed once again.”
Wisnicki said on Monday she was disappointed with De la Torre’s comment.
“The [district] staff had really put together an extensive site plan review and had adequately addressed the needs of John Adams,” she said. “And of course as more things come up, we can make determinations with the unallocated funds.”
The funding for Malibu High, which with the $14 million increase last Thursday is now at $27.5 million, is targeted toward construction of a library and administration offices, parking area, and a new drop-off and pick-up area. Also included are a synthetic turf field for soccer and football, two tennis courts, an enhanced amphitheater, the installation of an improved ventilation system in the gym locker room, the removal of three movable classrooms, the construction of a high school commons and the construction of a two-story middle school wing (the $14 million project).
This summer, the district will get a better idea of specific costs for all the Measure BB projects district-wide. And if it is determined some are costlier than previously thought, some projects might have to be eliminated. However, the district might also learn by then that it will receive increased funding from other sources, including state-matching funds.