Deasy enters into an unstable school scene
Within John Deasy’s first 100 days as superintendent, a whirlwind of change has engulfed the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
Shortly before officially assuming the reigns on July 5, three assistant superintendents resigned from the school district and needed to be replaced quickly. Nearly half the school board turned over in last November’s elections. Collectively, in three short months more than half the school district’s leadership has changed hands.
But Deasy has shown he is adept at handling pressure and making decisive decisions. Three new administrators were quickly hired and Deasy, along with the three new school board members, went through a dizzying orientation process.
So far the results have been in Deasy’s favor. For the first time in many years, the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified teachers’ union and the administration are on good terms. A new contract has been recently approved and union representatives share the stage with administrators and board members at school board meetings.
Recently, Deasy has been instrumental in planning how the school district will deal with overcrowded classrooms throughout the district. His plan outlines the steps needed to stem the number of permits granted to non-resident students, which encompass nearly 21 percent of the entire student body.
The next challenge for the school district, with Deasy’s guidance, is to find a new source of funding to absorb the estimated $1.4 million annual loss of state funding that will result from cutting non-resident students. Currently, the school district receives almost $12.3 million a year to educate non-resident students.
“In fact, I’d say we’re one of the luckiest school districts in the country.”
“We are so fortunate to have John here. In fact, I’d say we’re one of the luckiest school districts in the country.” — said Tom Pratt, former school board president, at a recent school board meeting. — TOM PRATT Former school board president
“We are so fortunate to have John here,”
Deasy and the teacher’s union president Harry Keiley are close to finalizing an historic use of funds received from the Academic Performance Index, a formula used by the state to reward individual schools where standardized test scores improve. They have proposed pooling the funds and targeting schools in the district where the money is needed the most. The move is bold because the state is supposed to decide where the money goes.
“John Deasy is an exemplary superintendent,” said school board president Julia Brownley. “His commitment is to all students, his successful record of leadership, and his nationally known expertise on educational reform make him a perfect fit to lead our district.”
“John Deasy is an exemplary superintendent. His commitment is to all students, his successful record of leadership, and his nationally known expertise on educational reform make him a perfect fit to lead our district.” — — JULIA BROWNLEY School board president
Before coming to Santa Monica, Deasy was superintendent at the Coventry Public Schools District in Massachusetts for about five years. He has held every position from college professor to a high school vice principal.
“I am very pleased to have moved with my family to this remarkable community,” said Deasy in a prepared statement. “We feel at home and welcomed. People have been particularly conscious of making our transition smooth.”
In a recent letter to the public, Deasy outlined the challenges he said lie ahead of the district. He said the district must struggle “to simultaneously wrestle with privilege and poverty, to find an ‘equity of achievement’ for all students from all backgrounds, and to reject any belief system that holds that some children can achieve at higher levels than others.
“I believe that my work and the work of my administration will be deeply intense and focused on these priorities,” he said. “I think the struggle will not be in attaining these goals — although that will not be easy — but it will be in not straying from these priorities.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 25, 2001. Read the original PDF.