What Santa Monicans Need to Know About Malibu’s Plans to Separate from SMMUSD

April 8, 2021 3:56 PM
by Lane Dilg


On April 17, the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization, a committee of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, will hear a petition put forward by the City of Malibu to separate Malibu from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD). The City of Santa Monica does not have a direct role in these negotiations, but we do have an obligation to keep our community informed about what is happening and what it may mean for Santa Monica’s future. 

Splitting our shared district with Malibu into two districts may be the right choice for our students for the long term.  But Malibu’s current plan for how to get there is not.  

Malibu has chosen to renew its 2017 Petition to separate from SMMUSD in the midst of the pandemic, with a hearing scheduled for next Saturday, April 17.  This is a time when we should be focused on supporting our students and our teachers as they return to the classroom after a long year of distance learning.  And it is a time when we should be focused on vaccination, public health, economic and civic recovery and building the bright futures of Santa Monica and Malibu alike.  

A school district split will have long lasting impact on children in both communities. The process should include thoughtful input from Santa Monicans, who should be informed not only by SMMUSD’s views but also by independent analysis by the County Committee, which is not yet complete.  Malibu’s choice to move its Petition forward unilaterally in this moment is, at a minimum, concerning. 

On March 23, the Santa Monica City Council affirmed its position that they are not opposed to separation but that the terms of separation need to be fair and just to Santa Monica students and families. The Council also sent this letter on April 8 to the City of Malibu. 

Each of our cities wants thriving education systems that will equip our children to be tomorrow’s leaders. We must ensure that the terms of any split are consistent with the shared mission of our schools: “extraordinary achievement for all students while simultaneously closing the achievement gap.”   

Malibu’s 2017 Petition proposes an inequitable funding split that threatens to harm our most vulnerable students in both communities, jeopardizing service delivery, including programs for special education students, English learners, and at-risk students.  SMMUSD’s projections regarding Malibu’s original Petition show vast inequities – with Malibu starting at $27,651 per pupil funding, while Santa Monica schools would only be funded at $13,759. And this gap would grow over time.    

Malibu recently submitted a Best and Final Offer, but this Offer fails to resolve core concerns that Santa Monica students will not maintain projected SMMUSD funding levels.  Rather, the Offer would make our students reliant for 10 years on a transfer of funds from Malibu; after that 10 years, the transfer would end, requiring the new Santa Monica district  to plan in advance for a deficit to come.    

Separation on fair and just terms is likely possible; but Malibu’s attempt to rush this process forward unilaterally raises significant concerns.   

To ensure any separation of the Santa Monica-Malibu School District represents the interests of Santa Monicans, consider these actions you can take. 

  1. Attend the Saturday, April 17, 9:30 a.m. meeting of the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization. The agenda and participation details are available at lacoe.edu. 
  2. Write to the committee and share that the current Malibu Petition should be denied and time should be taken to develop a plan that sets all of our children up for success. Email Heredia_Anna@lacoe.edu.

Authored By

Lane Dilg
Interim City Manager