Malibu school applies for charter status

After almost being forced to close due to steadily increasing budget cuts and a decreasing enrollment rate, Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School (PDMSS) in Malibu has applied for charter status, according to PDMSS parents Robyn Ross and Ali Thonson, which would make it the first charter school in the history of the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District.On the Point Dume Marine Science Charter website, designed to give information on the campaign, parents Ross and Thonson explain that, due to the recent budget cuts and the current economic climate, closing of PDMSS is imminent unless immediate action is taken.“At one point, in similar economic conditions, there was declining enrollment, and then the school was forced to shut down,” Thonson, a parent and one of the lead petitioners for the PDMSS charter, said. “If we don’t act now and they had to close the school, we wouldn’t be able to stop it.”According to Thonson, the obvious alternative for the parents at PDMSS was to apply to become a charter school, which is independent from the district and receives funding from the state. Because charter schools are not controlled by the district, teachers and administrators have more authority over what goes on and what is taught in the school. If PDMSS becomes a charter school, funds that are currently controlled by the district would instead be controlled by a board of parents, teachers, and other members of the community, as would the curriculum.“We presented the idea to the teachers in February, and there was a unanimous vote in favor of the charter,” Thonson said. “Our school curriculum would continue to have a focus on Marine Science and continue to incorporate technology and arts.”Although the school is applying to become a charter to have more independence from the district, Thonson believes that the district had nothing to do with the school’s lack of funds and declining enrollment.“Their hands are tied. They are suffering just like us and just like every other school district in California,” she said Marissa Kristy, a student at Palisades Charter High School, believes that there are elements of charter schools that the students at PDMSS would be able to benefit from.“Being a charter school gives us more power and with the power comes more control,” Kristy said. “Its beneficial because we can be part of LAUSD without being completely under its authority.”The board of education has 60 days to make a decision about the application.Taylor D'AndreaNews Editor