More than $38,000 raised by parents, plus a one-time $160,000 donation by the Malibu Foundation, plus $25,000 from the Boys and Girls Club of Malibu equals … just enough to pay for the continuation of a STEM program and to continue paying for 12 instructional aides, according to a recent presentation given to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education—but it’s not enough to pay for arts teachers.Â
Local schools’ fundraising efforts have fallen about $62,000 short of their goal, something the SMMUSD School Board discussed last Thursday, Aug. 13. The budget currently calls for a $1.3 million increase in spending to address COVID-related expenses. According to KBUU News, about $500,000 of that is to pay for things like cleaning offices and classrooms, while the other $800,000 is needed to add two days of teacher training before the school year begins.Â
KBUU reported that revenues will be nearly $600,000 higher than originally estimated, but that $700,000 will still have to be taken from the school’s bank account, which is currently at $14.6 million.Â
