The head of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is again pitting parents from two different cities against each other.
Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati has asked for Santa Monica families to speak out in opposition to Malibu’s most recent petition to break away and form its own district.
The Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization is set to hear comments from the public Wednesday night at 6:00 PM.
“SMMUSD officials have been in negotiations with Malibu City officials about how to properly allow the Malibu portion of the school district to leave and form their own district,” Drati wrote in an email Monday.
“After years of negotiations, school district officials became less optimistic about an equitable departure, as Malibu’s proposals have consistently revolved around an inequitable distribution of financial resources that would cause irreparable harm to students in both Santa Monica and Malibu.”
“While we continue to request that the Committee deny the petition our door is open to unification. We must ensure that students in both communities may continue to enjoy the high quality education that SMMUSD is known for. We need your help to oppose this petition.”
