> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # If it’s education the people want, it’s education they get - URL: https://www.smdp.com/if-its-education-the-people-want-its-education-they-get/ - Published: 2004-02-20T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T03:51:19.000Z - Author: Bill Bauer - Tags: Opinion, Malibu, #archive-import, Homeless The municipal elections are nine months off and politicos are already squaring off on the major issues. A school funding charter amendment sponsored by the Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS) is already generating controversy. The CEPS proposal — if it qualifies for the ballot and is approved by voters — mandates a city cash subsidy for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Denny Zane, a former city councilman and mayor, and present co-chair of the powerful Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights organization, is one of the movers and shakers behind the proposal. However, most city councilpersons and many in SMRR are opposed to a permanent commitment of at least $6 million annually to the school district. Zane recently squared off against city councilman and fellow SMRR, Michael Feinstein, during the first debate on the topic at Santa Monica College. Zane and fellow school supporters claim the proposal would provide a “final, consistent and reliable funding stream” for the schools. Feinstein characterized the amendment as “a raid on the city budget. This is going to put a direct hit on social services. It’s going to be putting pressure on the homeless, seniors, youth at risk and city employees,” he said. That’s the idea, Mikey. Resources are being egregiously misdirected. For years, this City Council has squandered millions of our taxpayer dollars on their personal agendas and nonresident services. I didn’t have to look far to find an example. In Monday’s Santa Monica Daily Press, columnist, Janet Phelan described the plight of two adult women “recently from New York,” now in Santa Monica — broke, homeless and needing a handout. It’s a familiar litany. At every homeless forum, dozens of present and former clients of Santa Monica’s many service providers relate, “I came here from (fill in a place other than Santa Monica)” or “I couldn’t get help in (other city, state or country), so I came here.” And, we’re all paying millions of dollars annually for it. I have sympathy for those down on their luck, however our tax money should go to Santa Monicans — to our children and those in need — not the down and out of the world. Feinstein predicted the CEPS proposal would focus a light on the district’s past fiscal policies. Critics claiming district financial incompetence is nothing new. Over recent years, the SMMUSD has annually run in the red by millions of dollars. Last fiscal year, the district was nearly $13 million in the hole due in part to the usual overspending and cuts in state support. In order to meet the increasing deficits and preserve their children’s educational programs, school supporters responded with a slew of tax increase proposals and now, municipal funding as bailouts. In the fall, voters approved a $225 increase to an existing parcel tax making up over $6 million of the deficit. The cities of Santa Monica and Malibu kicked in another $6 million, with the bulk of it coming from Santa Monica. Many of the people on the SMMUSD financial oversight committee are in CEPS and also were behind the recent tax increase proposals. Their agenda: Give the schools all they want no matter who antes up. With Zane (a homeowner and a parent) and others shilling for more school money, the CEPS amendment has divided SMRR. Those who oppose the proposal are already being called anti-education child haters — a label that unfairly chills honest debate on the issue. The big question is whether City Hall with its extensive resources should be required to subsidize another sovereign government agency, especially one with a long history of fiscal mismanagement. On the other hand, city leaders desiring to change the world have consistently failed to recognize and meet basic resident priorities. If city politicians are forced to curtail their altruistic agenda to serve our children, then so be it. In the end, the school district has no incentive to puts its financial house in order while the city spends millions of dollars for social programs, a bloated municipal bureaucracy, “green” schemes and cheap rental housing for primarily foreign nationals who have little if any benefit for residents. Sadly, our children’s education is held hostage while well-intentioned politicians and special interests alike devise quick fixes and extort the rest of us. (Bill Bauer is a longtime Santa Monica resident and a freelance writer). *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 20, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/022004.pdf?ref=smdp.com)