Malibu Council Gives OK To Create Independent School District

MALIBU, CA — Santa Monica and Malibu are one step closer to having separate school districts after the Malibu City Council gave formal approval for the documents dictating the divorce on Tuesday.

The city of Malibu and the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District have been in mediation since February 2022 ironing out the details about the city's divorce from the district and the creation of separate districts for each city. That work outlined the following, according to Malibu city officials:

• The Property Tax Revenue Sharing Agreement, which is "meant to memorialize the allocation of the existing SM-MUSD revenues between the successor educational entities in order to ensure that each entity is allocated a sufficient share of funding to provide a similar level of service at each school site as prior to separation."
• The Operational Transfer Agreement, which seeks to provide the framework for how Malibu and SM-MUSD will work together during the time preceding the formation of the future MUSD. It defines how Malibu and SM-MUSD will work together to manage the transition of confidential data; educational services; other student related services; staffing assignments; human resources; maintenance, operations, and facilities; allocation of real property; allocation of other assets and liabilities; fiscal implications; and communications."
• The Joint Powers Authority Agreement, which will be the body responsible for implementing the OTA and PTRSA. The purpose of the JPA Agreement is to delineate the responsibilities of the JPA and set forth the governance structure. The JPA Board will be comprised of five board members, two selected by MUSD, two selected by SMUSD, and one jointly selected by the two districts."

On Tuesday, the Malibu City Council unanimously approved the documents outlining those agreements.

“I’ve reviewed the agreements. They are not perfect. They are as good as we’re ever going to get,” said Mark Dipaola, president of Malibu Elementary’s PTA, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Tuesday's vote was far from the final step.

Officials previously said that after Malibu and SMMUSD agree to a proposal, they'll have to submit it to county officials for consideration. After that, it would go to the California Board of Education — then voters will have to approval it at the ballot box.

Officials' latest estimate is that the separation, if it gains final approval, would be completed in time for the 2028-29 school year at the earliest.