1 Of 5 School Board Candidates Declines To Endorse Malibu Independent School Dist
Written by 991KBU on October 11, 2018
Five candidates for four seats on the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School Board debated last night.
It was a public form hosted by the Malibu Times and the Santa Monica Daily Press.
Incumbent Craig Foster of Malibu … as well as board members Oscar De latorre … Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein and Laurie Lieberman are seeking reelection to their seats.
One newcomer … Ann Maggio Thanawalla … is seeking to dislodge one of the three incumbents.
Maggio Thanawalla is a parent … she says she deserves your vote because she has … in her words .. skin in the game.
The other four candidates have all voted for Malibu to become a separate school district.
Maggio Thanawalla stops just short of that … she says she understands the frustration of a 45 minute drive to district headquarters,
We asked her if she supports a separaet Malibu school district … with payments form Malibu to Santa Monica.
NEWSCART 77863 MAGGIO :35
MAGGIO: “I haven’t had a chance to look at all of those details. But I do believe that, you know, the state put in local control and accountability plan, that’s what every district has to follow, and I believe that local control is what serves our parents and our students the best.
REPORTER: “Why should people vote for you?”
MAGGIO: “One, I have skin in the game, with a child in our schools. I’m connected to our families I’m connected to the issues that are not just Santa Monica issues, but also Malibu issues as well, because I am often at the board meetings.”
The local control and accountability plan that Maggio endorses is not an independent Malibu school District … it should be pointed out.
That makes her the only one of the five candidates not to specifically endorse complete Malibu school independence.
