Time running out for City Hall, school district
Last-minute negotiations between Santa Monica’s top city and school officials were expected to resume today and last through the weekend, or until a compromise is reached on long-term funding for public schools.
A nucleus of school supporters are closely following the talks between City Manager Susan McCarthy and John Deasy, superintendent of the local school district. Only days remain for the school group to decide whether to force on the November ballot a proposed charter amendment that would require City Hall to give local schools at least $6 million a year.
Leaders from the local school district, Santa Monica College and City Hall met at the Ken Edwards Center Wednesday to assess the situation, with a handful of members from the grassroots Community for Excellent Public Schools watching. CEPS is spearheading the charter amendment.
Representatives from all groups said they were encouraged by a new tone of cooperation in the talks, which so far had been largely divisive and unproductive, they said. But CEPS leaders reminded officials they need to be promised a predictable, ongoing revenue source for local schools in order to abandon the proposed charter amendment.
“This is a really nice love fest, but you need to get down to the details because we believe we have to turn in signatures by May 5,” said Louise Jaffe, CEPS co-chair. “Things need to happen pretty quickly. There’s not a lot of time left.”
It’s unclear when exactly the 8,000-plus signatures need to be handed over to the City Clerk to place the proposal on the ballot. CEPS members have been operating under a self-imposed May 5 deadline, but McCarthy — who was flanked by her assistant city manager, the mayor and two councilmen — said that date is flexible and encouraged the group to wait and see if a compromise could be reached. Once the signatures are turned in, there is no way to reverse and pull the item off the November ballot.
Various proposals have been discussed to avert the need for the charter amendment, which would last indefinitely. If passed by voters, the charter amendment would force City Hall to give the schools 4 percent of a portion of the general fund — which is funded by sales and utility taxes, and other revenues — and upping that by one percentage point if the fund grows by more than 3.5 percent. In the current year, the designated portion equals about $150 million, and 4 percent of that is $6 million.
At least two alternatives have been discussed by officials.
Deasy said the school district has submitted a proposal to City Hall, but declined to give any details or comment on how it differs from the other two options.
McCarthy on Tuesday outlined many of the details of a possible agreement to the City Council. Under her plan, City Hall would agree to pay the school district at least $6 million a year, with an annual adjustment based on inflation and other, unspecified “triggers” that could equal an additional $1 million or more each year.
City Hall already gives the district $3 million a year and the past two years, has found an additional $2.25 million in one-time funds to help the struggling schools. In order to bump up the “base” funding from $3 million to $6 million, City Hall would likely have to raise the hotel bed tax, a proposal expected to appear on the November ballot.
Deasy, who was accompanied by members of the school board and the district’s director of finance, said he’s hoping to find as long-term a solution as possible.
“While I think it’s good energy invested at the time of creation, constantly recreating it is something, actually, I’m not interested in doing,” Deasy said.
Details still have to be worked out, and then presented to CEPS members. There’s no guarantee the compromise Deasy and McCarthy reach will be accepted. CEPS co-chair Shari Davis reminded everyone at the meeting that CEPS has spent “months and months and months analyzing and crafting and looking at the measure.”
While the talks continue, details of any possible settlement between the schools and City Hall have given McCarthy plenty to think about, she joked.
“A development today is that I have a quote of the day,” McCarthy told a group of about 25 people gathered for the school liaison committee meeting. “Our finance director told me today that I was over analyzing things, and when the finance director tells you you’re over analyzing things, it’s time to step back a little.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 30, 2004. Read the original PDF.