Superintendent fears current system favors schools in wealthier neighborhoods
Andrew H. Fixmer
Daily Press Staff Writer
Not just any school can raise more than $5,000 in one night.
But when your school is nestled among mansions north of Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, pulling off such a feat becomes much easier.
Last month, six nationally-known comedians took time out from the comedy club circuit to put on a one-night show benefiting their children’s school — Franklin Elementary.
PTAs throughout the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District are scrambling to raise enough money to cover the gaps in funding programs and buying supplies.
Some PTA organizations raise more than others giving their school an edge. With more money, wealthier schools can hire more teacher aids to keep class sizes small. They can afford to give their elementary school students music and art programs. And their kids have access to better equipment.
For example, Franklin Elementary can raise much more from its Montana Avenue neighborhood than Edison Language Academy can from its Pico neighborhood, on the east side of town.
“The scope of the ability for people to give is not the same in every segment of our community,” said Superintendent John Deasy. “Therefore some schools raise more money than others, and that can create a problem.
“It creates disequality. Some schools have a lot more than others, and that’s just the bottom line.” — — JOHN DEASY SMMUSD Superintendent
327,“It creates disequality,” he added. “Some schools have a lot more than others, and that’s just the bottom line.”
Sherry Orgel, president of the PTA Council, said schools with larger student bodies are the ones more likely to raise large amounts of money.
Orgel said Franklin isn’t the only public school in the school district fund-raising. She said though Franklin’s 150 students makes it the largest elementary school in the district, Roosevelt and Grant elementary schools are quickly catching up in size.
She said every school has to reach out to parents for added aid in the form of book fairs, carnivals and silent auctions.
“Ideally, we shouldn’t have to do that kind of fundraising,” Orgel said. “We would love to concentrate on other things than raising money, but we don’t have a lot of choices.”
And Deasy said as the state decreases its funding for education, the situation will only become worse. The school district expects a $5 million deficit over the next two years because the state has to use money ear-marked for education to cover costs from last year’s energy crisis and decreases in tax revenue resulting from the current recession.
“We have one of the most grossly under-funded school systems in the country,” he said. “And it’s not getting any better — in fact its getting very bleak.”
Deasy has proposed increasing taxes, and asking the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu to increase their donations by $2 million and $250,000, respectively.
However, Santa Monica officials have said the city is facing an $8.8 million drop-off in sales tax revenues this year and may not be able to spare all the extra cash the school district is requesting.
Until the system is changed, Deasy said schools will continue to rely on their PTAs. If they couldn’t raise money, the school district would be at a great loss, he said.
“Without them and their fundraising efforts we wouldn’t have nearly high education levels we have today,” he said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 20, 2002. Read the original PDF.