Malibu breaks off school split negotiations with SMMUSD

The effort to split Malibu schools from Santa Monica is on and off again, after the city of Malibu announced it is moving forward with another attempt to split the district without reaching an agreement with Santa Monica officials. .

On Friday, the City of Malibu announced it will move forward with its original 2017 school segregation petition to create an independent Malibu Unified School District, just weeks after the city and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) subcommittee had reached an agreement. on a completed unification package.

Approved unanimously by the Malibu City Council, Malibu will submit an independent feasibility study to the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization, supplementing the original petition. The city states that the update “does not nullify” the original petition, but “builds on the financial and operational assumptions that made the separation feasible” in terms previously agreed to with SMMUSD.

City officials said the move was prompted by the SMMUSD Board of Education’s failure to approve the completed separation agreement within deadlines set by the district. The board discussed the package for the first time at its Oct. 24 meeting, noting the need for further discussion before it can be voted on.

“Malibu has worked in good faith to reach an agreement with SMMUSD that would create a fair and equitable separation for both communities,” said Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart. “However, because the board has failed to meet the agreed deadlines, Malibu will now continue with the process independently.”

Separating a school district is a complicated process, but can be done by order of county education officials. However, Malibu and SMMUSD are seeking a negotiated split with agreements on how funding and resources would be distributed.

In revenue sharing discussions earlier this year, SMMUSD legal counsel David Soldani said the agreement was the result of “hundreds of hours” of mediated negotiations between Malibu and the district, and that “as is the case with all negotiated agreements , some give and take.”

Malibu officials stated that in an effort to work with the district, Malibu offered concessions to help ensure a seamless process once both parties agreed on key financial aspects.

Now Malibu says the alternative feasibility includes much of the financial and operational foundation developed in recent years, maintaining the guiding principles that (1) the formation of an independent Malibu Unified School District is in the best interests of all students; And (2) both Malibu USD and Santa Monica USD will receive sufficient funding to provide a similar level of service as before the separation.

Negotiations nearly broke down last summer when Christine Wood, an attorney representing the city of Malibu, asked the LACOE committee to hold a public hearing on her original petition. Wood said the request to hear the original petition “was about the lack of urgency that (SMMUSD) places on the process.” However, at a LACOE meeting in August, Wood revised the statement and told the committee that the two sides had made “significant progress” on the agreements.

The two sides released a joint statement in September announcing that their respective subcommittees had agreed on a proposed school segregation package. The package consisted of three key elements: the Revenue Sharing Agreement, an Operational Transfer Agreement and a Joint Powers Agreement.

Malibu officials added that forming an independent Malibu USD would reprioritize the educational needs of Malibu students, reflect the unique needs and values ​​of the community and give Malibu residents local control over education decisions.

The County Committee will consider the City’s petition at two upcoming public hearings, the first of which will take place in the SMMUSD District Office Boardroom on Friday, November 8. The following week, on November 13, Malibu High School will hold a hearing. Both will take place from 6 p.m.

SMMUSD officials said they could not comment on the developments at the time of writing and will make a statement on the matter on Monday.

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