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# City Council approves $6 million annual school funding agreement with Santa Monica-Malibu district
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/kim-calvert-special-to-the-daily-press-the-majority-of-christine-emerson-reed-park-at-1133-seventh-st-has-been-fenced-off-until-the-first-week-of-augu/
- Published: 2005-04-14T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T06:37:31.000Z
- Author: Ryan Hyatt
- Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import

*SM residents to take part in Sacramento rally April 28*

CITY HALL — A controversial and precedent-setting agreement between city officials and school supporters that will guarantee tens of millions of dollars for local schools is a done deal.

Nearly a year after City Council members promised to dedicate at least $6 million to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, the agreement was approved on Tuesday. The agreement obligates City Hall to give the school district $6 million annually for the next five years.

“This (agreement) is, in many ways, one of our crowning jewels,” said Councilman Richard Bloom. “But I do see a truly dark side to doing this. There are districts all throughout the state which can not do it. We have haves and have-nots, and the difference is dramatic and depressing. If we are truly a progressive community, we must believe in good public education, not only in Santa Monica, but all over the state.”

Under the agreement, City Hall will double for the next five years the $3 million it gives annually to the school district in ongoing funds, with a 2 percent to 4 percent annual adjustment based on inflation. The agreement also includes loopholes for extraordinary circumstances, and options for both sides to reassess and renew the deal.

A group of school and city leaders will meet in January 2007 to reassess the agreement. That group will decide whether to adjust the base funding by $1 million, at most.

The deal was brokered on behalf of efforts by Community for Excellent Public Schools, which gave city officials an ultimatum early in 2004, announcing they would attempt to change the city charter through a November ballot measure that, if approved by taxpayers, would have forced City Hall to give $6 million to the school district indefinitely.

A majority of council members felt backed into a corner, but they agreed to a compromise that was reached behind closed doors and approved publicly.

In presenting the compromise to the City Council, City Manager Susan McCarthy — who negotiated the details with superintendent of schools John Deasy — said both sides made significant concessions. School interests gave up indefinite funding that likely would have continually increased, while City Hall interests agreed to hand over the money without designating a new revenue source, something they previously had sought.

During the Tuesday City Council meeting, councilmembers said that although City Hall managed to provide financial relief to the schools for a designated period of time, funding public education was not the responsibility of the city, but the state.

With that point in mind, Shari Davis, CEPS co-chair, said she and other education supporters across the state will take part in “Caravan for Kids,” rallies to be held on April 27 and April 28 to encourage better state funding for public education. The April 27 rally will be held locally. Education supporters will then take the message to Sacramento on April 28.

In addition to taking their message on the road, Councilman Bobby Shriver also encouraged CEPS members to report periodically how the money City Hall has provided the schools is being used.

“Part of being accountable is showing taxpayers how the money is being used to try to build support for those who do not want to pay for public education,” Shriver said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 14, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041405.pdf?ref=smdp.com)