Money raised from a grassroots community fundraising campaign combined with expected federal monies enabled the school district to restores positions mostly in the elementary schools.
By Jonathan Friedman / The Malibu Times
The Board of Education last week Thursday restored more than 30 staff positions in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District that were eliminated in June. A combination of $1.5 million collected through the Save Our Schools (SOS) campaign and federal money the school district is expecting to receive were used for the reinstatements. Several district officials cautioned that these funds were one-time dollars, and the SMMUSD must find new ongoing revenue sources for stabilization or else it must cuts positions again before the 2011-12 school year.
The federal and SOS dollars will pay for 13.5 full-time equivalent, or FTE, elementary school teachers, 4.6 FTE secondary teachers (including 1.6 FTE teachers at Malibu High School), four elementary music teachers, four elementary library coordinators, $220,000 for reading specialists and $120,000 for “targeted professional development.” The money will also be used to cover four counselor positions, including a newly created one at Santa Monica High School, approved by the board last month.
The reinstatements will reduce class sizes and enable elementary school libraries to be open the entire school week. Also, the elementary school music program was fully restored. All the teachers who were laid off two months ago can return to the SMMUSD, Cuneo said. But several of these people have gotten other jobs or moved, so the district will need to hire some new people.
While how much SOS money was available was clear, the amount of available federal money was not. The state government will distribute the estimated $1.2 billion California will receive from the $26 billion teacher jobs bill signed into law this month by President Obama. Sacramento has not said how it will do this. A variety of sources told SMMUSD officials they should expect at least $1.2 million, but could receive an amount in the $2 million range. This will likely become clearer next month.
District staff had proposed using approximately $900,000 of federal money this year and reserving the remainder (whatever that might be) for next year.
The logic behind this was that using the money next year could protect some jobs being restored this year, and limit the “cycle of hire/fire,” Cuneo said. But board members said at least $1.2 million should be used this year, a point echoed by teachers’ union president Harry Keiley.
“Every penny from that federal money, every penny, needs to go directly into the classroom to make a difference in the lives of children this year, not next year, but this year,” he said.
Although all the board members supported putting $1.2 million toward job restoration and other programs this year, not all did so with enthusiasm. Board President Barry Snell said he was torn about it.
“This is not just a feel-good thing,” he said. “This is realism. We have been deficit spending for some time. And putting these jobs back could possibly put us in a worse position if certain things do not happen.”
The City of Santa Monica’s half-cent sales tax proposal on the November ballot includes an advisory measure asking if voters would like half the estimated $12 million in annual revenue to go to the SMMUSD.
Also, district staff claim to be looking into the feasibility of revenue options proposed by the Financial Oversight Committee and the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation is searching for ongoing funding sources.
“Hope and faith should be our compass,” Board member Oscar de la Torre said. “And I have a lot of hope and faith in our community in terms of winning in November the necessary funds to keep and sustain our quality public schools.”
Gift fund policy discussed
Also at the meeting, the controversial Equity Fund policy was a topic of discussion. This policy requires 15 percent of most donations and cost of gifts given to the individual schools be pooled together in a fund. Money from this fund is allocated to schools on a weighted formula.
Board members noted that certain schools, most located in Malibu (although Malibu was not named), are receiving much more money through PTA fundraising than others.
Also, the members accused PTAs of not reporting all the money and gifts received as a way to avoid fully contributing to the Equity Fund. The words “black market” and “underground” were used.
The Equity Fund is expected to be on the agenda at the Sept. 1 meeting after The Malibu Times goes to print for the Sept. 2 issue. Look for coverage of the meeting at www.mailbutimes.com and in the Sept. 9 print edition of the newspaper.
Where the new money is going
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District collected $1.5 million through the Save Our Schools fundraiser and is expected to receive at least $1.2 million from the federal government. The Board of Education voted to put the money toward restoring the following positions that were cut in June:
Elementary Classroom Teachers: 13.5 FTE
Secondary Classroom Teachers: 4.6 FTE
Elementary Music Teachers: 4
Elementary Library Coordinators: 4
Counselors: 4
Additionally, $220,000 will be used for reading specialists and $120,000 for targeted professional development.