The Santa Monica City Council votes to give the school district an additional $1.5 million on top of an annual contribution of $3 million, while the City of Malibu gives a total of $38,000.
By Carolanne Sudderth/Ocean Park Gazette
With a budget shortfall crashing down on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and with the City of Santa Monica contributing an additional $1.5 million to help alleviate the pain, Malibu has yet to step up to the plate.
Last Thursday, the school board voted to place a $300 parcel tax on all properties in the district. The tax is being levied in part to offset an anticipated budget shortfall of $2.9 million this year. That pit is anticipated to be twice as deep next year.
Traditionally, school districts have relied upon the state’s ADA (Average Daily Attendance), an amount based on the number of students multiplied by their average number of days in class, for funding. The SMMUSD received an average of $6,806 for the 2000-01 school year for each student attending. But, facing a $26-billion crunch of its own, this year the state is diverting streams from the property tax-funded pool in other directions.
“Property taxes don’t generate quite enough for us to be independent,” said Assistant Superintendent Ken Bailey.
Faced with a budget crisis itself, the state government is pulling back in its support. It’s up to the locals to make up the difference. Projected revenue from the state this year is $24.6 million. Somehow, this must be stretched to cover $58.7 million of expenses.
At its budget hearings a few weeks ago, the Santa Monica City Council not only approved their annual $3 million contribution, but added an additional $1.5 million to it.
The City of Malibu has not been a regular donor to the school district, said Julia James, administrative services director.
“We contributed once [in 2001] and it was not $250,000,” she said. “I believe it was $150,000,” which went toward the new swimming pool at Malibu High School.
This year, the city’s contributions will be limited to $15,000 allocated specifically for the bilingual counseling program and another $23,000 to the SMMUSD, but that money has been earmarked for maintenance of the new pool, Bailey said.
“They expect quite a bit of use of that pool when school’s not in session.”
But that is it as far as any financial life-blood from that particular stone. Bailey said the SMMUSD has asked for a more equitable contribution from the City of Malibu, “but the answer we got was a polite no. What we have been told is that they’re trying to accumulate a large fund-balance in case of a disaster.
According to the Census 2000, 12,575 people live in Malibu-a little more than 15 percent of the number of full-time residents in Santa Monica (84,000). Of the 12,058 students in the district, 2,248, or 18.6 percent, attend Malibu schools.
In the meantime, Malibu has used Prop X funds approved by Santa Monica-Malibu voters to complete what Bailey describes as quite a fine football field. Prop X funds were designated for renovation and improvement of school buildings.
“I never had a chance to coach or teach at a track that nice,” Bailey told the Gazette.
Prop X funds were also used for the renovation and restoration of Santa Monica High’s Barnum Hall, which should be completed later this year.
Repeated phone calls to Malibu City Manager Katie Lichtig had not been returned when this article was posted, nor had calls to any of the seven SMMUSD Board members. Board members Tom Pratt (Malibu), Julia Brownley (SM) and Brenda Gottfried (SM) are up for reelection this November. Board member Pam Brady (Malibu) announced a few months ago she would not be seeking another term.