School Board to Discuss Malibu Independence

School board members and the public will hear details on how it would work for Malibu to separate from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District during a workshop on Thursday in Santa Monica.

Officials from the Los Angeles County Office of Education will be at the workshop to discuss the process that is officially known by the misleading name, "unification." The workshop will take place at the  as part of the regular board meeting. An SMMUSD official told Malibu Patch on Saturday the plan was to hold the workshop at , but a sound check is being doing in the City Council Chambers on Thursday, and it was the only day all the relevant LACOE officials could attend.

"This discussion item will provide the Board of Education an opportunity to hear from Los Angeles County Office of Education representatives regarding a summary of the role and authority of the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization and the criteria that is considered for unification," the board's agenda states.

Many Malibu residents say the people of this city and the surrounding unincorporated areas would be better off as part of an independent school district. There are a variety of factors behind this theory, including the belief that the Santa Monica-dominated SMMUSD is less-focused on schools in Malibu than those in Santa Monica.

"For too long, we have tolerated our place in a district that was not primarily dedicated to the excellence of our particular schools," education activist Craig Foster said during a speech at a November  meeting. "For too long, we've fallen short in making the choices and offering the programs Malibu deserves."

Foster is on the board of Advocates for Malibu Public Schools, or AMPS. The group is the leader of the Malibu education independence movement. During the meeting at which Foster spoke, the council voted 5-0 to move forward with a process to petition the county to do a Malibu school district feasibility study.

City officials determined Mayor Laura Zahn Rosenthal and Mayor Pro Tem Lou La Monte, members of the council's education subcommittee, should team up with stakeholders from Malibu and Santa Monica to gain support for the petition.

"We believe it's time for the two cities and the school district—the Board of Education and the superintendent—to work together and to get enough information to work on an agreement to see if this is going to be viable," Rosenthal said at the November council meeting.

The City Council candidates were asked about their opinion on Malibu education independence at the debate on Thursday hosted by Malibu Patch and Moms-Pod. A video of their responses can be found .  

The workshop is scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m. The SMMUSD Administrative Offices are located at 1651 16th St. in Santa Monica.