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# Santa Monica-Malibu Schools Featured in PBS Documentary "First to Worst"
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/012005-story/
- Published: 2005-01-20T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T06:01:40.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

A documentary on the rise and fall of the state’s public school system that includes the local school district has gained national attention.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and its superintendent, Dr. John Deasy were featured in “First to Worst,” a PBS documentary that chronicled the rise and fall of California’s public school system. “First to Worst” has been awarded the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle in the “investigative news” category.

The CINE Golden Eagle Film and Video Competitions acknowledge high quality professional production in a variety of content categories. Learning Matters previously received a Golden Eagle in 1995 for “Caught in the Crossfire.”

“First to Worst” traces California’s education crisis to the anti-tax movement of the 1970s and 1980s and to civil rights lawsuits that aimed to equalize school spending but resulted instead in disastrous funding limits on schools.

To learn more about “First to Worst” or to order a DVD copy ($30, including shipping and handling), visit pbs.org/merrow/

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 20, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/012005.pdf?ref=smdp.com)