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# District students are overachievers
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/district-students-are-overachievers/
- Published: 2007-11-07T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T03:50:09.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import

*Local schools are outperforming peers across the country*

DOWNTOWN Students in the public schools here continue to outperform their peers across the county and state, scoring higher on standardized tests and taking on more academically rigorous courses, according to a status report released Monday regarding the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

The second annual “The State of Our Schools” presentation by state and district officials provided a glimpse into one of the top performing school districts in the country, its schools ranking in the top 1 percent among schools in the United States.

The event featured addresses by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, speaking about state policies and funding impacting education; Board of Education president and vice president Kathy Wisnicki and Oscar de la Torre, the colleagues presenting their reasons why the schools are successful; and a keynote presentation by Superintendent Dianne Talarico during which she outlined initiatives to further improve the district.

The Community for Excellent Public Schools and the Santa Monica-Malibu PTA Council co-sponsored the event at the Main Library.

District officials are trying to improve cooperation and communication among staff and school administrators through team-building exercises and a number of retreats that occurred over the summer with school principals. An advisory council comprised of principals has also been formed in order for the administrators to have a voice district matters, Talarico said.

Administrators have also tried to improve math proficiency and expand post-secondary options to their students, with the formation of an ad hoc committee that is studying the possible opening of another small high school, and the signing of a new partnership with Santa Monica College through which students can take college courses for credit.

Closing the achievement gap has been a major goal of administrators over the past few years and Talarico reported that the Academic Performance Index scores — a state measurement of comprehension — has risen among African-Americans and other socio-economically disadvantaged students.

“We are beginning to narrow the gap,” Talarico said.

The presentation by the two school board members focused on the attributes that put the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District in a class of its own, a district where more than 98 percent of its students end up graduating from the high schools and many go on to attend some of the top universities in the country.

“I would venture to say it’s almost unheard of,” Wisnicki said, alluding to the graduation rate.

Perhaps setting the district apart is the music program — offered to students in the elementary, middle and high schools — and the community’s support for the public schools. Local taxpayer-approved measures bring in an annual $10 million to the district’s budget every year while the PTA councils contribute an estimated $4 million to $5 million a year in volunteer time and actual dollars.

“You need to applaud that,” Talarico told the audience, comprised primarily of parents.

The community’s support, along with a strong tax base and improvement in district finances, are the reason why Moody’s Investors Services improved the district’s bond rating recently from Aa3 to an Aa2.

A better bond rating lowers the interest payments for the district and allows “us to get more bank for the buck,” Talarico said.

SOME OF SAMOHI’S BRIGHTEST The evening concluded with a presentation by two panels — one made up of Samohi teachers and another with students — addressing the quality of education at Santa Monica High School.

The teachers all came from different disciplines, from Latin teacher Luke Henderson to Athletic Director Norm Lacy, and have spent varying tenures as faculty members at the high school, some entering their 30th year, others still young in their ninth year. The same went for the students, who came from different walks of life, from Evelyn Santiago, a student leader who once couldn’t speak a word of English, to Valyncia Todd, a senior and president of the Black Student Union.

All came to the same conclusion that the high school provides an enriching environment, giving teachers, as well as students, opportunities for growth.

“I’ve never met teachers that motivated me as much as they have,” Santiago said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 7, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110707.pdf?ref=smdp.com)