The proposal to split Malibu out of the Santa Monica school district housed should be denied … because losing Malibu taxes would take money away from Santa Monica schools.

That is the conclusion of the staff at the L A County Department of Education … released just before a county committee is scheduled to make a recommendation in splitting the school district.

But a Santa Monica board member says the majority of the board will still endorse granting Malibu independence … but under more favorable terms than the city’s petition.

The staff report from the LA County Department of Education is harshly critical of Malibu’s independence petition. 

The report says the Malibu parents’ belief that the Santa Monica-based district is insufficient for their particular needs “does not merit the creation of a new school district … especially in light of the potential negative fiscal impacts (it) would have on the resulting Santa Monica district.”

The report says school district boundaries are “necessarily permanent” and must … in its words … “honor the civic decisions made by authorities who mapped out and populated our County long before it was nearly fully built out, as it is today.”

In fact … the county report says that because Malibu has been a part of the Santa Monica district for 70-plus years … we have long standing inclusion in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, while maintaining area identity. 

Malibu was lumped in with Santa Monica 100 years ago … when Malibu was a ranch.

According to the country report … and we quote … the education provided by the Santa Monica district to Malibu kids is more than adequate. 

Says the county report … they are “well aware that public opinions on the quality of school districts and individual school sites may vary widely. 

“We are guided by state-mandated metrics of sufficiency and performance, not public opinion polls.”

But the bottom line is money ,… and the county report says creating a Malibu district would have a significant negative fiscal impact on the resulting Santa Monica district. 

Santa Monica Board Member Says They Support The Compromise, Not The Original Malibu Petition

Santa Monica school board member Jon Kean says the school board still opposes the terms in the original Malibu petition for divorce.  

But he says the board will endorse the divorce terms that were approved by the school board last week … 

Kean says Santa Monica has “worked diligently for years toward a fair, equitable and viable solution” to granting Malibu a separate Malibu School District. 

In a statement issued by the school board last night … Kean said the board wants to work with Malibu to secure a separate school district … but not on the terms originally proposed by the city.

Says Kean … “We understand Malibu’s strong interest in local control of Malibu schools.

“We have supported that goal by putting in the work to find a fair and equitable way to accomplish unification.”

Says Kean: “It’s time to put all the negative comments, bullying tactics and misinformation aside and get to work on finalizing the … agreements that are required.”

Critical Meeting Is 67 Miles Away From Malibu High, But Will Be On Zoom

The LA County advisory committee will make its vote tomorrow … at a meeting at a county office building in Downey … 9300 Imperial Highway in Downey. 

That is 67 miles from Malibu High School … two hours in morning rush hour traffic.

The meeting will be held also on Zoom, with public speakers allowed to comment.

The Zoom link is https://lacoe-edu.zoom.us/j/86198100117?pwd=azZIcHY4b1dqcVBqOVVhem8wVi9CUT09 Password: 028856

After the recommendation is made … the matter goes up to there state Board of Education. 

It reportedly has a four year backlog of similar cases from across the state. 

Malibu school leaders are hoping to get a special bill through the California Legislature to sped things up. 

There is no indication … however … of support from the governor … or of any other well of support in Sacramento.