Seven hours and 50 speakers later, little progress is made.
By Jordan Morris
Assistant News Editor
$13 million.
Suffering from repercussions of the statewide budget deficit, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District must eliminate this amount from its budget for the next fiscal year.
It is an understatement that the imminent budget crisis and the failure of Proposition EE in November have devastated public education.
After several weeks of rumors regarding cuts circulating within the district, the SMMUSD management team revealed its proposal in a Santa Monica meeting last Thursday. It sought to generate these funds through employee and service cutbacks and the placement of a flat $225 parcel tax on a special ballot in June.
Although the board did not vote on the proposed cuts at the meeting, members were met by dozens of parents from Santa Monica and Malibu public schools who delivered four hours of adamant comments causing the meeting to last more than seven hours.
Speakers voiced their opposition to the proposed cuts to elementary school bilingual language, music and physical education programs, in addition to partial cuts to districtwide nursing and the layoffs of 277 employees.
These layoffs include a number of teachers, the principal of Santa Monica Alternative School House, all library assistants and numerous custodial workers throughout the district.
Superintendent of Schools John Deasy said these cuts were painful.
“We have some of the most remarkable work going on in the classrooms,” he said. “There isn’t a single solitary reduction that you have to wrestle with that doesn’t affect children.”
He added that there are no expendable organizations within the district, or else they would not exist in the first place. As a result, all reductions come with some degree of difficulty.
Harry Keiley, president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association, said any cuts would have drastic impacts on children and families in the community.
“Our recommendation is that any reductions that may be necessary occur as far away from students and the classroom as possible,” he said, speaking on behalf of the SMMCTA. “This is not the time to engage in finger-pointing, blame-gaming and public posturing. Rather, this is the time for all of us … to place our personal differences aside and work together.”
Despite Keiley’s suggestions, rumored cuts to special education ignited the anger of many members in attendance.
These rumors swept across local newspapers and television broadcasts throughout last week.
They prompted Tricia Crane to deliver a special report, asking for compassionate leadership of the board on behalf of the Special Education District Advisory Committee, of which she is the chair.
“I ask you to ask for and use as much hard data as possible to affirm your decisions regarding special education cuts,” Claudia Landis, a parent of an autistic child at a district school, said. “I urge you not to settle for anything less. The issue of special ed is an issue of social justice in the first degree.”
Rick Williams, the parent of a special needs student at John Muir Elementary School, responded to a rumor that special needs students would be forced to take classes at a separate school.
“To separate the students with special needs is segregation,” he said. “And that’s against the law. It’s that simple.”
Deasy laid to rest all rumors of special education cuts.
“It is never OK to bash special education, or any child for that matter, and it is repugnant to think (the cuts) are being inferred in that way,” he said. “There has been no recommendation for reduction in the special education department.”
SMMCTA union member Jim Jaffe urged the elimination of all rumors.
“All of us, as leaders in this community, have to watch what we say,” he said. “We can’t put out comments from other meetings … that cloud the picture.”
Crane called the rumor situation a “bizarre unreality.”
“The real concern is when comments are made in public meetings and are allowed to just let lie,” she said.
Deasy said he would not ever leave his office if he responded to every rumor, but he would try to prevent such distribution in the future.
Other rumored cuts did appear in the budget cut proposal, including cutbacks on the Spanish/English bilingual language immersion program in elementary schools.
Many parents of children in the program advocated that it remain intact.
“It is any parent’s dream to see their children pass them in educational ability,” parent Frank Coza said. “I am very proud to report today that my seventh grader has surpassed me in speaking Spanish. The reason for this is that the immersion program is fabulously successful.”
The language program cut also includes the layoffs of Bilingual Programs Coordinator Aida Diaz and Assistant Superintendent Peggy Harris, strong advocates of the program.
Many objected to these dismissals. Parent Lourdes Hernandez called them “major setback(s) of some 25 years.”
“We don’t want to lose anything, and we don’t want to lose anybody,” Carmen Cruz, a parent of a McKinley Elementary School student, said. “Peggy Harris has done an excellent job for our kids.”
Ignacio Choza also spoke on behalf of Harris, who was in attendance at the meeting but remained silent.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a large Spanish community being interested in the academic schooling of our children,” he said. “My recommendation is to think more than twice on this issue.”
Other parents were less optimistic.
“We’re entering into a period of chaos,” Greg Haycock said, suspicious of further cuts in this area. “I’m looking at private schools as an alternative in case everything really goes to hell.”
Also part of the debate was the elimination of elementary school music programs.
Students from John Adams Middle School reflected upon their experiences in the elementary school programs.
“We’re here to represent everything involved with the music programs,” a sixth-grader said. “When I started singing, that happened because I was in elementary school music. Last year I won third place in a solo competition. It’s really important to have this program.”
Art Commissioner Zena Jacobs fought back tears during her comments.
“You see a lot of beautiful and hopeful faces in this program, but I know you have a lot of difficult choices,” she said to the board.
Also difficult was the proposal to cut school nursing programs by almost half.
“It’s not OK,” said Cheryl Bader, the school nurse at McKinley and Franklin Elementary schools. “For the safety of our students, staff, teachers and the district. An unhealthy child can’t learn.”
Charlene Niemi, the nurse at Roosevelt Elementary, said she is already so busy that she often does not have time to take a lunch.
Cuts to physical education would also jeopardize student health, opponents said.
Antonio Williams, the physical activity coordinator at McKinley Elementary, is facing being laid off. He focused on the effect this cut would have on students.
“We have a great program here in Santa Monica, and cutting it risks the health of our children,” he said. “I know the board cares about the children – a healthy body (makes a) healthy mind.”
A major impending dismissal is SMASH Principal Reuben Valles.
Several parents of children who attend the alternative school angrily spoke out at the meeting.
“I think it’s unfair to cut the principal position because this eliminates the role of our school leader,” parent David Salzman said. “I think this cut sends a negative message to our children about the value of their leaders. We need a leader for our students, our parents and our teachers.”
Shernice Lazare, a third grade teacher at John Muir Elementary, spoke on behalf of the victims of the impending layoffs.
“We need to defend education and protect the right of innocent students to continue their achievement,” she said.
Jaffe emphasized that full time employees are not just a statistic.
“All FTE’s have a face and a family,” he said. “We can’t forget that.”
The elimination of library assistants and custodial workers would force other faculty members to assume the duties of these positions, Deasy said.
Deputy Superintendent Joseph Quarles said these layoffs are extremely time sensitive, because the law states that all outgoing staff must be notified by March 15.
However, board members were hesitant to vote on these issues until after further deliberation. In hopes of curbing these massive cuts, they voted on a flat $225 parcel tax which, if passed in the June special election, it would considerably lessen the magnitude of budget cuts.
The school district budget crisis and the passage of the parcel tax are especially critical because the yearly funds from the California state government will be delayed until the next fiscal year, Deasy said.
Following a $225 parcel tax proposal by an ad hoc committee, board members debated for several hours about the terms and language of the tax.
However, a lower $198 tax was initially proposed, favored by five board members. Dr. Mike Jordan, a Pepperdine journalism professor, and Oscar de la Torre stood behind the $225 tax.
Santa Monica businessman Rick Gates warned the school board against the passage of a higher tax, considering the failure of Proposition EE and the devastation that would incur if the tax were not successful in the June election.
“We’re limping, and we’ve got a bullet aimed at the good foot,” he said. “We can’t afford another misstep.”
However, Kathy Dodson, president and chief executive officer of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, assured the board that the chamber would unanimously endorse the higher tax and dedicate numerous resources in support for its passage.
Recreation and Parks Commissioner Neil Carrey, who headed the ad hoc committee, said he was disappointed in the board’s consensus on a $198 tax.
“You’re going to have to answer to this … decision you’ve got no basis for,” he said. “Other than fear, I have not heard anything that counters the hours of work and decisions made by (our committee) with tremendous amounts of knowledge.”
Keiley also spoke strongly for the higher tax.
“This is a crisis of conscience,” he said. “It is in good conscience that voters will turn out in our community and say ‘yes’ to kids.”
Further debate eventually swayed board Vice President José Escarce to support the $225 tax.
“This is a crucial point in the future of these two communities,” he said, referring to Santa Monica and Malibu.
Board member Julia Brownley said she had wrestled with this issue throughout the week and had hoped for unity among board members.
“This is the most serious call of action we have considered in decades,” she said.
Jordan was adamant in his support for the higher tax.
“Maybe now it’s time to have some confidence in who we are,” he said.
During the vote for the $198 tax, Brownley abruptly switched her decision. Parcel tax committee members still in attendance erupted in applause.
Jordan proposed the $225 tax, and the board unanimously passed it 7-0. After minor changes to the language of the preface to the tax, an exhausted Maria Leon-Vazquez, president of SMMUSB, adjourned the meeting in the wee hours of Friday morning. The Board convenes tonight at 7 p.m. in the Malibu High School Auditorium.
Keiley expressed his appreciation for the upcoming responsibilities of the board.
“I don’t envy the decisions you will have to make,” he said. “But we will stand behind you like never before.”
February 06, 2003