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# More than 1,000 march on City Hall demanding doubled school funding
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/activists-demand-more-money-for-education-it-was-one-of-the-largest-marches-in-recent-history/
- Published: 2003-01-15T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:18:47.000Z
- Author: Andrew Fixmer
- Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import

More than 1,000 people marched on City Hall Tuesday demanding the City Council double what Santa Monica spends on education.

Carrying banners with slogans such as “Save my teacher” and “Double your love,” a line of concerned parents and community activists paraded through city council chambers before Tuesday’s city council meeting started.

It took more than 45 minutes for the entire crowd, which was passionately chanting “Save our schools,” to snake its way past where city council members were sitting.

“This is by far the largest demonstration I can remember at City Hall,” said Mayor Richard Bloom.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Council of PTAs organized the protest to draw attention to the desperate situation educators find themselves in financially. They want Santa Monica to double the $3 million it annually gives to the school district to $6 million.

Because of drastic reductions in funding from the state, the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District is short $3.5 million this year, and it’s projected the district is facing another $11 million deficit next year.

Without an increase in funding from Santa Monica and Malibu — which donates about $227,000 annually — administrators have said they will be forced to make “draconian” cuts to academic programs, including art, music and sports programs.

Superintendent John Deasy said the large turnout at the protest demonstrates that people understand the dire situation the school district is facing and they support the district’s cause.

“I wasn’t anticipating anywhere near this size,” he said. “It really shows people take education very seriously.”

But the City is short when it comes to its own budget by $8 million. Next year that deficit is anticipated will grow to nearly $15 million. While city officials

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/011503-01_01.jpg)

Mayor Richard Bloom watches from the dais as hundreds of activists march through City Council chambers on Tuesday. (Photo: Andy Fixmer/Daily Press)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 15, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/011503.pdf?ref=smdp.com)