Happy Holidays for SMMUSD?

Community for Excellent Public Schools wishes all of our friends and members very happy holidays.        And thanks to California's December 15th budget announcement along with SMMUSD's careful fiscal management, this holiday season appears less dire than had been anticipated for our local public schools.  (Take a look at Ashley Archibald's comprehensive article below.)

Schools tighten belts, but not too tight Cuts to K-12 less severe than anticipated By ASHLEY ARCHIBALD December 16, 2011 CITYWIDE — The scalpel of state budget cuts continues to slice away at school districts in Santa Monica, but prior planning will shield both K-12 and community college students from the worst, officials say. Gov. Jerry Brown announced in a press conference Tuesday that state coffers were short approximately $2.2 billion in anticipated revenues, triggering $102 million in cuts to the community college system and $79.6 million to primary and secondary education. "That's where we are today," Brown said. "Cuts to university, in home supportive services, schools and prosecution are not good. This is not the way we'd like to run California. But we have to live within our means." The cuts were built into the budget, and would only be "triggered" if approximately $4 billion in hoped-for revenue failed to appear. The triggers came in two tiers — higher education and other social services would be cut first, and, if less than half of the expected money came in, K-12 education would feel the knife. While higher education will feel the full brunt of the loss, K-12 will only lose $79.6 million of the $1.5 billion it faced, said Ana Matosantos, director of the state department of finance. The cut could equate to half of the transportation budget and approximately $13 dollars per student in state funding, said Jan Maez, the chief financial officer of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. That's fabulous, considering that it could have been 20 times that amount if the state hadn't realized any of its projected revenue. "Months ago, we heard it would be $181, and we thought that was good news," Maez said. "This is even better news." The district set aside money to cover potential losses in January, so students will not see any change in services this year, Maez said. Subsequent years, however, remain a mystery. Unlike K-12 education, the state college and community college systems and other social welfare programs were promised a $601 million reduction if the state fell short by $2 billion. Santa Monica College officials put aside $1.24 million from its $12.6 million reserves to help weather the cuts, said spokesman Bruce Smith. "We have a strong reserve, and thank goodness because with all of the cuts year after year after year, it's been difficult," Smith said. The newest round of reductions brings cuts in the 2011-12 school year to $502 million for the community college system alone, said Paige Marlatt Dorr, spokesperson for the California Community College Chancellor's Office. In an attempt to offset some of those losses, state officials imposed a $10 increase per unit on community college students earlier in the year. The newest triggers will mean another $10 increase, raising the per unit cost from $26 to $46. "That's a 77 percent increase in fees in less than a year," Marlatt Dorr said. "We serve some of the most vulnerable and needy students in the state. We are still the lowest, but for many of our students who are working two jobs, they're barely making it paycheck to paycheck." The new revenue won't appear until fall 2012, however, and some community colleges will still have to cut class offerings and, in some cases, personnel. That's not the situation at SMC because of careful money management and a higher population of out-of-state and international students that pay higher fees than California students, Smith said. "We have actually hired some new tenure track faculty," Smith said. "At the same time, don't get me wrong, this isn't good news." And the bad news could keep coming. In his speech, Brown promised another round of cuts if Californians vote down a tax measure meant to raise $7 billion, which will appear on the November 2012 ballot. "Trigger cuts are a process of fiscal discipline. Going forward, we'll have an opportunity in November to vote in the revenue, almost $7 billion, or not," Brown said. "If they do, taxes will be extended for the next few years. If they don't, we'll see even bigger cuts."

STATE OF OUR SCHOOLS! Save the Date

Shortening the School Year -- What, Again!?

At the very time when we should be looking to increase learning opportunities for our children, some in Sacramento are talking about the possibility of shortening the school year.  With our schools squarely in the crosshairs of potential further cuts to state-funded programs, cutting the number of schools days – always a big revenue saver for the state – is being seen as way to help fill a possible budget shortfall. While the politics around the proposal are not yet clear, Governor Brown signed legislation earlier this year that gave districts the option of shortening their school year to 168 days, should tax revenues fall short of the hoped-for level of $2 billion.

 

It would make our state 48^th out of the 50 states when it comes to the number of days children are given the chance to be in school, and it would put us even further behind the nations we’re trying to compete with globally, some of which have instructional calendars of 220 days.

Some districts in the state have already shortened their school year to the state minimum of 175 days.  To them, it’s hardly a choice at all, given the fiscal realities they confront.  And, if cutting school days is a choice that’s not really a choice, what’s emerging as the real decision in strapped districts is whether to choose quantity or quality. 

"As terrible as it might be, I would advocate for a shorter year with a quality school program rather than a longer year and a decimated program…" one district superintendent said in Sacramento recently.

Just this 2011 - 2012 school year, our local schools were able to restore five days to the district calendar that had been cut in each of the previous two years in response to severe State budget cuts.  Local educators and parents were thrilled to be able to return to a full 180 day school year.  However, shortly after school started in September, new discussions commenced that could result in additional days cut from future school calendars.

If education were truly the priority that it should be, this either-or situation would be recognized for what it is: forcing school districts into a false choice between giving children the time they need in school on one hand and affording them high-quality programs on the other.  Our children need and deserve both.

California State PTA supports this important school funding initiative

Legislative Alert November 30, 2011

..PTA-supported school funding
initiative launches..

To view a press release announcing today’s filing of the initiative, click here. Today in Sacramento, The Our Children, Our Future: Local Schools and Early Education Investment Act was submitted to the Attorney General for title and summary for the November 6, 2012 ballot. California State PTA supports this bold initiative, which will provide approximately $1,300 per student in new funds each year that must be spent directly at school sites with local parent and educator input. In particular, the funding must be used by schools to provide a well-rounded education that supports college and career readiness for every student, including a high-quality curriculum that includes the arts; music; physical education; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); and vocational and technical education courses.  It can also be used for smaller class sizes, school libraries and librarians, school nurses and counselors. “The Our Children, Our Future Act focuses, first and foremost, on restoring essential education programs that have been cut,” said California State PTA President Carol Kocivar. “We have heard, loud and clear, from you, our members, that school budgets have been cut too deeply. We’re calling on everyone who cares about the future of our children and our state to get behind this vital measure.” The initiative will raise approximately $10 billion a year in new revenue through a sliding scale income tax increase that varies with taxpayers’ ability to pay, with the highest income earners contributing the most. Of the money raised, 85 percent will be allocated on a per-pupil basis to all local public schools, including charter schools, and 15 percent will be used to raise standards and expand access to public preschool and early childhood programs to help prepare children to succeed when they reach kindergarten.  The Governor and the Legislature are prohibited from using the money or directing how it may be spent. Several other ballot measure ideas are floating around for consideration in 2012, but PTA strongly supports The Our Children, Our Future Act because it will generate the substantial amount of new revenues that our students and schools desperately need. It also proposes important reforms that ensure transparency and accountability, as well as greater parent engagement, by ensuring parents at each school have a real say in how the funds will be spent.  The initiative also focuses on closing the achievement gap by providing additional per-student resources to support low-income children and English language learners, and greater access to early childhood education and preschool programs, which are proven to increase school readiness and help to close the gap. The Our Children, Our Future: Local Schools and Early Education Investment Act is sponsored by the Advancement Project, a national civil rights organization. It has the financial support of Molly Munger, founding co-director of the Advancement Project and a former federal prosecutor and business litigator who left her corporate life to become one of the state’s most passionate and effective advocates for communities and schools in need. California State PTA had a role in crafting the final ballot measure language, and we plan to actively engage in the broad, grass-roots effort to qualify and pass this measure. In the coming weeks we will continue providing information about this important initiative and how you can get involved to help.  More information, including the full text of the initiative, can be found at:www.OurChildrenOurFuture2012.com. To view a press release announcing today’s filing of the initiative, click here.

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SMMUSD Districtwide Fundraising vote tonight

Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District has been grappling with the issue of equitable private fundraising for local schools for years, and will likely continue to grapple with it for some time to come.  The issue of Districtwide Fundraising, the process of centralizing contributions to pay for specific services, in SMMUSD's case personnel and programs, comes to a head tonight at a special Board of Education meeting at 6pm, which has been moved to the auditorium at Lincoln Middle School, 1501 California Avenue.  Superintendent Sandra Lyon stated in a notification about the meeting sent out last week to parents and community members, "Please note that the meeting will be held at Lincoln Middle School, which is a larger venue than the district office, to accommodate members of the public who wish to observe and/or make public comments during the meeting".

The issue has attracted a lot of attention.  This Sunday it was featured in a Los Angeles Times editorial titled Public Schools, Private Donations.  The Santa Monica Daily Press has provided thoughtful coverage, include this recent article.  Frank Gruber offers his opinion in the Lookout News.  And the story even went national, going a little viral after first hitting Slate Magazine earlier this month.

On November 7th, Community for Excellent Public Schools' Steering Committee unanimously approved the following statement, "Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS) supports the proposed revision of SMMUSD Board Policy 3290 concerning Acceptance of Gifts, with the added recommendation that the policy also include a well-defined Memorandum of Understanding between SMMUSD and the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation to address governance, accountability and transparency.

The CEPS Steering Committee discussed this issue thoroughly and voted unanimously to approve this position."

CEPS encourages anyone with an interest in our local schools to learn more about this issue, and to participate in the process.  Make your voice heard at tonight's board meeting.  You can see the Superintendent's presentation on Districtwide Fundraising or view the proposed policy on the district website.  

A Decade of Community for Excellent Public Schools Advocacy

Celebrate a Year of Advocacy and Partnership

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y + YY

A Decade of Advocacy and Bold Partnerships Help Strengthen City and Schools

November 2, 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of the passage of the groundbreaking Santa Monica Propositions Y + YY.  It also provides the opportunity to recognize and honor the unique partnership that these measures represent between the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District and the City of Santa Monica.

Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS), a Santa Monica-based, all-volunteer, grass-roots political action committee, has advocated for local funding for local public schools for over a decade.  Since the beginning, CEPS has bridged political divides, bringing together advocates from divergent groups and philosophies, all committed to protecting local public schools.

In California, public schools rely on the State for most of their funding, yet for the past decade, Sacramento has been the source of deep and relentless cuts, both to our local public schools and to schools up and down the state.  In addition, early childhood education, community and Cal State colleges, and even our incredible UC system have all sustained devastating cuts.  Public education’s outlook in our once-Golden State is dire.

Nearly a decade ago, CEPS argued that strong local public schools provide tangible and demonstrable financial benefits to their cities and that inadequate funding from the State was not acceptable.  We called for “long-term, predictable, ongoing support from the City of Santa Monica for its local public schools”.

In 2003, CEPS proposed a measure to amend the Charter of the City of Santa Monica to provide ongoing direct contributions from the City to SMMUSD schools.  After CEPS collected the 15,000 signatures to qualify that measure for the ballot, the City and SMMUSD crafted a direct Master Facilities Use Agreement, which is still in effect and requires renewal in early 2012. 

Taking CEPS’s advocacy to a statewide level, in 2005, CEPS strategically partnered with California’s State PTA to organize “Caravan for Kids”, comprising rallies and press conferences across the state, and culminating in a large rally on the Capitol steps in Sacramento.

Education funding crises have pummeled public schools continually for the past decade but time and again our community pulled together to respond. CEPS and many community groups joined forces to work on multiple measures to provide local funding directly to classrooms.  A coalition of committed volunteers from multiple groups, including CEPS, PTAs, Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, the Chamber of Commerce, teachers, school staff, administrators, City leaders and many more worked extraordinarily hard on the campaigns. Voters, most of whom did not have school-aged children, demonstrated their commitment to strong public schools by passing these measures and voting to tax themselves to fill funding gaps caused by State cuts. 

In 2010, in the middle of one of the worst recessions in recent history, the City of Santa Monica’s City Manager, Rod Gould, proposed a new municipal tax, to shore up funding for local services and public schools. The City Council voted to put it on the ballot, along with a companion advisory measure to describe the sharing of the funds.  A diverse coalition, drawing on the strength of the education community, again coalesced to successfully campaign for the two unique ballot measures. 

CEPS is deeply appreciative of Mr. Gould’s and the City Council’s commitment to the importance of partnership between the City and the Schools.  We believe that these two unprecedented municipal policies, Y and YY, were the right message for the right community at the right time, and that a decade of advocacy to help protect strong public schools contributed to the success of these propositions.

On the one-year anniversary of these groundbreaking measures and partnership, we pause to look back and reflect on how far we have come as a community and say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who worked so hard to make these accomplishments possible.  And because so much work is left to do, CEPS is also driven to look forward.

As cuts continue to come from Sacramento, CEPS will continue its #1 job; advocating to preserve and protect the quality of our local public schools. In addition, we will continue to advocate in local and state elections to help elect representatives who are aware of and ready to take on the challenges to ensure high quality public education.  And CEPS will become more involved at the State level, since, after all, Sacramento is the place where funding and policy decisions live and die.

Moreover, on this anniversary celebrating the passage of Y and YY, CEPS is excited by the myriad opportunities developing in the wake of the strengthening partnership between our community and our schools.  Santa Monica’s Buy Local campaign is building a strong working relationship between our education and business communities, and the emerging work of the Santa Monica Youth Resource Team brings schools and the community together to provide a continuum of services, outreach, and opportunities to children throughout our community, from cradle to career. 

At its core, education advocacy – for CEPS, for our community leaders, and for every individual – boils down to providing each child the very best opportunity possible to learn.  We are so proud and grateful that our great community is committed to the education of all of its children.  Through true partnership, we all grow stronger. 

Happy Birthday Y + YY.  Many happy returns of the day!

Yours for Excellent Public Schools,

Shari Davis & Rebecca Kennerly

Co-chairs, Community for Excellent Public Schools

On behalf of the CEPS Steering Committee

learn more or contribute at www.excellentpublicschools.org

The Start of a New School Year – and Other New Beginnings

For as long as anyone at CEPS can remember, September has meant the beginning of a new school year with its fresh faces and hopes for the future.  The beginning of this school year brought with it many firsts.  No only did we welcome Superintendent Sandy Lyon to Santa Monica-Malibu and Laurel Fretz as Principal of Santa Monica High School, but we also saw the first August start to a school year – possibly ever.

The start of this 2011 – 2012 school also brings with it another notable milestone, the beginning of Community for Excellent Public Schools second decade.

CEPS helped organize Caravan for Kids, a statewide rally
protesting State budget cuts.

Big birthdays are times for more than celebration.  They are times for reflection, assessment and priority-setting.  CEPS is proud of its accomplishments, which can be appreciated in detail here. 

CEPS was founded a decade ago in response to what was assumed to be a temporary funding shortfall caused by State budget cuts.  Little did we know that those early cuts were simply the opening volley in what would become an unending siege against public education in the State of California.  CEPS had hoped and assumed over the years that with just one more effort to plug the dike, the crisis in our local public schools would be stabilized.  Yet, after each miraculous victory, the State came back with bigger and more painful cuts.  The result, however, of CEPS effort has been significant help in preserving and protecting Santa Monica-Malibu schools, which consistently perform better than state and country schools.

Now, after ten years of effort, CEPS has taken time this past summer to assess and look forward.  At the end of July CEPS published a survey asking the community its views about CEPS work, as well as to share their own priorities about public education issues.  On August 17^th, the CEPS Steering Committee met with its members and community leaders to discuss preliminary findings of this survey and to discuss areas of focus for CEPS to prioritize in the future.

This effort will continue into the fall when we hope to announce our findings at a community event on November 2^nd. This event will celebrate the one year anniversary of the passage of Santa Monica Propositions Y + YY, and the powerful partnership between our SMMUSD cities and schools. Look for event details coming soon. 

PLEASE TAKE CEPS SURVEY TODAY
There is something you can do now to help CEPS look forward.  Please take a moment, if you haven’t done so already, to fill out the CEPS survey.  Your views and opinions are important to us and will help us advocate more effectively to help protect the integrity of public education.  And please send this survey to your friends and ask them to help us plan for the future.

Finally, if you would like to do more, we would love for you to join us as a member.  In this difficult political climate, financial contributions provide critical resources that will allow us to contact and educate voters.

We look forward to hearing from you!

CEPS Co-chairs

Shari Davis & Rebecca Kennerly

info@excellentpublicschools.org

CEPS In the News

Please share your thoughts about public education in the CEPS Survey

PHOTOS BY DAVID HUME KENNERLY, COURTESY OF CEPS

From the statewide event, "Caravan for Kids" in 2005. Created by then-CEPS Executive Board members Rochelle Fanali and Denny Zane and organized by CEPS Steering Committee members, the two-day rally was organized by CEP in partnership with California State PTA, to provide training and facilitation for parent and student groups throughout California.

NEWS, SANTA MONICA, SCHOOL, EDUCATION, SANTA MONICA-MALIBU SCHOOL DISTRICT (SMMUSD)

Local School Advocates Celebrate Years of Work

POSTED AUG. 8, 2011, 7:37:00 AM

HANNAH HEINEMAN / MIRROR CONTRIBUTOR

The Community For Excellent Public Schools (CEPS) has become a key player in K-12 public education in both Santa Monica and Malibu.

Although the roots for the organization were laid in early 1999, the group started meeting regularly in 2001 to discuss and strategize about assisting the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District with communication and seeking revenue sources. CEPS officially became a non-profit volunteer political action committee in 2003 when its members helped the school district solve the financial crisis it was facing at that time.

Some of their goals include promoting a shared community vision for excellence in local public schools, evaluating and pursuing a range of short- and long-term funding measures through state, City, and school district policies and elections, identifying and supporting issues that would support education and public schools, and promoting accountability for high quality public education by public institutions and public officials.

“CEPS has been able to cultivate a culture in our community that makes education a priority in the whole community,” noted Shari Davis, CEPS co-chair. “We are so proud that we have been able to advocate successfully for funding for our school district that now totals $24 million per year from local sources.”

Some of these local sources are a parcel tax with a cost of living adjustment and the Master Facilities Use Agreement between the school district and the city of Santa Monica that began in the 2004 – 2005 academic year. Most recently, CEPS helped with the campaign for Propositions Y and YY that were approved by voters in November 2010. Proposition Y was a half cent City of Santa Monica transaction and use tax and Proposition YY was a companion measure that advises that half the funds generated by Proposition Y can be given to the school district. The school board approved the terms of the agreement in June 2011.

“The proposal of putting Y and YY on the ballot shows how far we’ve come,” Davis pointed out.

Another milestone, according to Davis, was the CEPS participation in the 2005 Caravan for Kids, which included eight press conferences in California’s major media markets and a 2,000-person rally for “Making California Great Again” on the steps of the State Capitol.

“The Caravan for Kids was a real moment for us to do statewide advocacy and partner with the California State PTA,” explained Davis.

Yet another achievement for CEPS was the initiation of the State of Our Schools event in 2006, which was created and organized by CEPS to highlight the achievements of both Santa Monica High School and Malibu High School with presentations in both cities.

In honor of its 10-year anniversary, CEPS is asking community leaders, education advocates, and residents in Santa Monica and Malibu to express their thoughts and concerns about public education through a survey posted on their blog at excellentpublicschools.blogspot.com

Please share your thoughts about public education in the CEPS Survey

Take the CEPS Survey

Please share your thoughts about public education in the CEPS Survey   Dear Public Education Supporter,   At the end of this very tumultuous school year, Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS) would like to thank you for working with us to keep the protection of public education a top community priority.  In addition, we would like to share some important news with you.   California’s historic on-time State Budget passage in June left the future of public education funding filled with uncertainty.  With deep cuts to early childhood and post-secondary education, this budget funded K-12 public schools at the same level as the 2010 – 2011 school year, but ONLY IF $4 billion of revenue increases materialize.  If not, pre-set “triggers” will be activated, potentially prompting mid-year cuts to public education of up to $1.9 billion statewide, leaving SMMUSD with about $3,600,000 less in State funding for 2011-2012.  As a result, SMMUSD would be forced  to dig deeply into its reserves, leaving the outlook for the 2012-13 school year bleak once more.   As we look back over the last year and beyond, we realize how far we’ve come since our inception over a decade ago.  Education advocates have worked hard to inform voters about our excellent public schools and to help shine a light on the critical inadequacy of State funding for education.   A SAMPLING OF CEPS' EFFORTS: In partnership with a broad coalition of community members, CEPS helped pass City of Santa Monica Propositions Y + YY in November 2010, and actively monitored the process by which the City of Santa Monica worked with SMMUSD to craft the new joint use agreement that provides the transfer of revenues to the School District.  CEPS Steering Committee Members Shari Davis and Tom Larmore co-chaired the Yes on Y + YY campaign committee, with many more CEPS members working on the committee to pass the measure.      Result: $5.7 million per year will be generated for our local schools          ($1 million already designated for 2010-11 school year)   CEPS helped pass Measure R in February 2008. Result: $11 million per year generated for our local schools, with senior homeowners exempted CEPS has worked with civic leaders to reinforce the value of maintaining high quality schools and to build toward renewal of the Master Facilities Use Agreement initiated by CEPS in 2004. Result: $8 million per year generated with renewal expected in 2012.   In addition, this school year, CEPS actively participated in the 2010 candidate elections, holding candidate forums and community outreach efforts that informed voters about candidates’ views and record on education issues.  CEPS also partnered with SMMUSD to inform the public about the District’s accomplishments and challenges in the fourth annual “State of Our Schools” Event.   We are proud to announce the return of Shari Davis as Co-Chair of CEPS.  She returns to lead CEPS after an extremely successful and productive two-year term as President of Santa Monica Malibu Council of PTAs.   With the State of California stuck in a daunting and seemingly endless budget crisis, there is no question that education funding is at risk and will remain so for the foreseeable future.    The only true certainty in California’s very unstable public education picture is that our advocacy is needed now more than ever.  CEPS is committed to continuing our work at the local and state levels.      To help us focus our advocacy on issues that matter most to you, please take a moment to let us know your thoughts!  PLEASE COMPLETE THIS BRIEF SURVEY.  It will take five minutes or less and will give us important feedback that will help us set our priorities for the coming year.   Finally, if you haven’t already done so, please renew your membership and consider making an additional financial contribution to CEPS.  Your support makes it possible for Community for Excellent Public Schools to continue its critical advocacy in support of Santa Monica and Malibu’s local public schools.    Thank you for making education a priority in your life and striving toward Excellent Public Schools for all children!   Sincerely,   Shari Davis & Rebecca Soladay Kennerly Co-Chairs, Community for Excellent Public Schools   Keep up on local education issues on the CEPS blog Look for CEPS and "like" us on Facebook