If Malibu unification (separating from Santa Monica) was easy, then it would be done by now. This is complicated.
First, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education (BOE) is not the agency who decides. Approval must be granted by the LA County Office of Education and State Board of Education.
Secondly, Superintendent Ben Drati has stated separation would cause a loss of future revenue for Santa Monica students, taking us backward in our efforts to be adequately funded. The BOE is tasked with evaluating the impact on all students.
Thirdly, two cities in one district is hardly unique. There are many school districts throughout California with multiple cities across wide geographic areas under one school district. The districts consider themselves unique and distinct too!
Finally, I find it stunning that Malibu leaders liken the push for separation to the plight of oppressed black Americans fighting for their civil rights, quoting Dr. King and referencing themselves as “the Puerto Rico” of SMMUSD. Really? They rightly boasted last spring in an open letter signed by leaders and groups in Malibu about “schools that for the last 15 years have produced graduates who attend the top 10 percent of colleges in the U.S. schools that are consistently ranked amongst the highest in the state and nation.” Underserved? Oppressed?
I was really hoping for a feasible proposal. But that has yet to be offered. If a better arrangement can’t be made, we should do what grownups in other multi-city districts do and work together for the kids.
Lori Whitesell