Point Dume Charter Petition Denied

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The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education voted 4-2, with one abstention, to deny a petition granting Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School charter status in a special meeting Thursday night at Malibu City Hall. Petitioners are expected to appeal to the county.

After a presentation of Superintendent Tim Cuneo’s assessment of the Point Dume charter petition, which concluded that the petition failed to adequately address funding concerns, petitioners were vocal in their disagreement with the figures relating to funding. More than five hours after the meeting started, the Board of Education cast the vote denying the petition, with several members lamenting the short time frame in which to make a decision with disputed figures.

The SMMUSD superintendent’s office posted its assessment in a staff report Monday. Petitioners issued a 20-page rebuttal Thursday morning, which several board members admitted they had had little time to closely read.

Lead petitioner Ali Thonson said of the vote, “I’m disappointed. I understand their concerns. I think we could have worked together to address it. The board’s been put in a tough position [with the disputed funding projections].”

Look for a more in-depth story on this issue in next week’s paper.