SM District Again Using Malibu Tax Money To Beat Up On Malibu School District Drive
Written by 991KBU on November 9, 2021
Malibu and Santa Monica are both gearing up for another L A County hearing on the Malibu school district divorce … tomorrow night on the Internet.
Santa Monica Superintendent Ben Drati is again using taxpayer money … including taxpayer money from Malibu … to campaign for Santa Monica and against Malibu.
Drati has used district mailing lists to send letters to parents … a letter that contains some statements that are nto quite accurate.
For example … Drati says school district 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.
The school district broke off those talks … and has not returned city requests to reopen them … with binding arbitration.
And the superintendent repeated the Santa Monica politicians argument … that Malibu’s proposals are an unfair split of tax money.
Malibu’s deputy city attorney … Christine Wood … said the original plan for this week’s public meeting was only to have Spanish-speaking people from Malibu to speak during Malibu’s 45 minute window.
She says they couldn’t get through last time.
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“We would just encourage you to attend. We are going to ask that the Spanish-speaking community to be heard first so that they may be allowed for an opportunity to be heard and for the translation to be done simultaneously. But if anyone else is available to attend we are more than happy and hope that you are able to join us.”
The Malibu attorney says teachers in Malibu are telling her … they fear retaliation from Santa Monica is they speak in favor of an independent Malibu school district.
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“They have great fear of retaliation by the union by the district. Overall they just have a lot of fear about speaking out as teachers and staff within the district. It’s really unfortunate but I don’t think there is anything we can help with right now.”
The meeting is at 6 o’clock tomorrow night (Wednesday) on the county’s Zoom platform.
People who speak will be granted 90 seconds … before their mic is cut off.
