Malibu independently proceeds with district negotiations
On Sept. 12, SMMUSD and the City of Malibu announced an agreement to a school district separation package. These negotiations came to a halt after Santa Monica failed to meet important deadlines.
Due to the board’s failure to meet deadlines agreed upon by both cities, Malibu will now proceed independently with the district division. A “Malibu has been working in good faith to reach an agreement with SMUSD that would create a fair and equitable separation for both communities,” Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart told the Santa Monica Daily Press. “However, due to the Board’s failure to meet the agreed-upon deadlines, Malibu will now proceed independently with the process.”
Jon Kean, Vice President of the SMMUSD Board, told the Santa Monica Mirror, “We are very close to completing this process. It’s crucial we take the necessary time to address all stakeholders’ needs, especially those of historically marginalized groups and special needs students. What some see as delay, we see as due diligence.”
The Malibu City Council approved the effort to establish a more localized school district back in 2015. Committees were formed, reports and recommendations submitted, but all were rejected by the SMMUSD Board of Education. Negotiations between Malibu and the school district began in 2018. Many financial/revenue proposals were submitted and rejected. The main takeaway was a permanent redistribution of Malibu property taxes to the new Santa Monica School District. After years of negotiations with no agreement, Malibu decided it would be best to move forward, independently from Santa Monica, on a petition for school district separation.
Thus, Santa Monica and Malibu are no longer involved in active negotiations for a mutual district separation agreement. This brings concerns that once Santa Monica and Malibu officially separate, there will be a disparity in pupil funding.
Some worry this district divorce may damage Santa Monica programs for English learners, special education and at-risk students. However, according to the current united school district, SMMUSD’s official statements, Malibu will provide a 10-year revenue sharing plan in which MUSD [Malibu’s independent district] would transfer funding to SMUSD [Santa Monica’s independent district]. This will ensure that per pupil funding in both districts remains at current, pre-separation levels.
In this proposed separation, the independent Santa Monica Unified School District (SMUSD) would receive property funding generated solely in Santa Monica. Per pupil funding is expected to increase in SMUSD and MUSD as a result of separation. SMMUSD is currently ranked 3rd in pupil funding in Los Angeles. With Malibu’s proposal, Santa Monica Unified School District will remain at least at its current per pupil funding level. After separation, the City anticipates that Malibu will rank 3rd and SMUSD will rank 4th in pupil funding in Los Angeles.