By Louise Jaffe, Ralph Mechur and Denny Zane
California’s $35 billion deficit threatens the legacy and promise of public education throughout the state and here in Santa Monica. The governor’s proposed budget requires that our local public schools cut $12-14 million from next year’s operating budget. Because education is service intensive and 85% of the SMMUSD budget goes to salaries and benefits, these cuts can only be realized by eliminating many teacher and support staff positions. The unavoidable result will be increased class sizes in many grades and significantly reduced educational opportunity for all of our community's children.
The only way our community can avoid this calamity is for two things to occur: 1) local voters must approve a school funding measure on the June 3 ballot and 2) the Santa Monica City Council must provide significant additional funding support to our schools when they approve their budget in June.
Since the early 1980's, SMRR City Councils have created a strong tradition of significant city financial support for our schools. The hope of our schools and our children rests upon whether our current SMRR City Council majority will be able to rise to the occasion to extend and amplify that tradition.
To appreciate the magnitude of the crisis in our schools, please consider the cuts which have already been approved by the School Board and will take effect next year, without new funding. According to Superintendent John Deasy, “Everyone’s worst fear is on this list.”
Increase in class sizes. Third grade classes will increase from 20 to 30 students per class, middle school from 30 to 35 students per class, and high school class size would jump to 37 students per class. All class size reductions in middle and high school math and English would be eliminated.
Elimination of 91 teaching positions due to increased class-size and cuts in categorical positions. Cuts include 21 elementary school teachers, 20 Santa Monica middle school teachers, and 15 teachers at Santa Monica High School, (cutting 15 teachers at Samohi means eliminating 75 Samohi classes!); English as a Second Language teachers, bilingual teachers, and reading specialists.
All 7 elementary instrumental music teachers, shutting down all district music curriculum at elementary schools;
All library clerks at elementary schools (this is the entire elementary library staff!);
5 school nurses;
36 middle and high school library assistants, PE aides and specialists, music aides, accompanists, middle and high school athletic support staff, trainers, and lifeguards;
56 custodians, groundskeepers, classroom instructional aides, cafeteria workers, computer technicians, etc;
9 District office administrators who work in the areas of student services, fine arts, physical education, personnel, curriculum, professional development, assessment, and student services;
1 Elementary school principal; and 2 Elementary school assistant principals.
These cuts will undermine the educational program for every single child who attends Santa Monica-Malibu public schools. Inevitably, the most vulnerable will be most hurt. While, the cuts are across the board and district-wide, the IMPACT of the cuts is not equal for all children. Closed elementary libraries most hurt children without books at home; reduced nursing staff most hurts children without private medical care; reductions and/or elimination in ESL classes hurts students in households where English is not the primary language; the elimination of reading intervention programs hurts the students who need the most academic help; and eliminating elementary instrumental music programs means only children whose families provide private instruction will be able to join what’s left of the acclaimed middle and high school instrumental music programs.
Once these cuts are made, it will take years before the state will provide the funds to rebuild our educational program. We should be dismayed and appalled. We should not accept this decimation of public education.
What can be done to increase funding and restore these services? As stated earlier, there are two parts to the local solution to this crisis:
1. Our Santa Monica Malibu Board of Education has placed a School Funding Measure before Santa Monica and Malibu voters. On June 3rd, voters will be asked to approve a $225 assessment on every parcel of land for the next 6 years with an exemption for seniors 65 and older who own and occupy their residence. If 2/3 of those voting approve, this measure will generate $6.2 million in new local revenues and will enable the Board of Ed to reduce the proposed cuts and impacts by that amount. This would go a long way in preventing many, but not all, of the teacher cuts.
2. The second local solution is for the Santa Monica (and Malibu) City Councils to increase their direct contribution to our public schools. The challenge before our city governments is to re-assess its priorities in light of this school funding crisis and to weigh the welfare of Santa Monica’s children and the importance of public education against other existing and more traditional city priorities, at a difficult time. The city projects its own $11 million deficit for next year and will have to make cuts in its own budget. But the projected overall City budget still shows close to $330 million in revenue, far more than cities of comparable size.
The school district has few cards to play and few options to exercise. City government is afforded a wider menu of revenue streams and means to increase revenue. Between now and June when the City budget for 03/04 is set, Council has directed staff to re-examine all spending and to return to the Council with a picture of the trade-offs that would be required to increase school funding.
If the voters approve the June school funding measure and the Council doubles its current $3 million unrestricted contribution, our schools will be able to stave off most, but definitely not all, of the impending cuts.
So, June will tell the tale. Will our voters come together to support public education? Will our city government stand taller for public education? Will we provide a bright future for all of the children of our community?