Storm Clouds Over Our Schools
As we approach the mid-point of the 2008-09 school year, we pause to take stock of the state of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and what we have accomplished this year. The November election brought hard-earned victories for all four SMRR-endorsed candidates for School Board: Ben Allen, José Escarce, María León-Vázquez, and Ralph Mechur. Ben, a newcomer to the Board, has already made important contributions and is a terrific addition. Similarly, our District’s interim Superintendent, Tim Cuneo, has brought strong leadership and quickly earned the confidence of the entire community. Our schools are running exceptionally well and our students continue to make academic gains.
Unfortunately, the fiscal catastrophe in Sacramento, and the resulting reductions in school funding, threaten everything we have accomplished in our schools over the past several years. Our District’s reserve will enable us to weather the first couple of years of cuts without much damage. However, Governor Schwarzenegger appears to be looking for ways to make the deep cuts in school funding permanent. Should he succeed, California will fall to 50th among the states in school funding, and our students will suffer enormously. This is the time for Santa Monicans—and Californians—who care about our youth and our state’s future to tell the Governor that permanent cuts to education are unacceptable.