By the Daily Press staff
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School Board made more exceptions to the number of non-resident children who will be allowed to attend classes in the district.
With overcrowding rampant in classrooms throughout the district, school officials want to thin class sizes by tightening up a policy that permits out of district students to attend classes in Santa Monica-Mailbu Unified.
Originally, the school district allowed more children into the district to raise revenue from the state. That plan backfired, however, when the school district became one of the best in California. Currently, non-resident children enrolled in the school district bring in an additional $12 million a year.
Superintendent John Deasy wants a one-year moratorium on any more outside students, except if the children’s parents work for the city of Malibu, the city of Santa Monica or the school district.
Deasy proposed extending that exception to siblings of outside children currently attending classes in the district, who would be allowed to enroll in kindergarten, 1st grade, 6th grade or 9th grade.
“The intent of the policy originally was not to separate families, but we became aware last night there are (non-resident) students with siblings at another outside school, but wanting to enter at the middle school level,” said School Board President Julia Brownley. “If the intent is not to split-up families, it should be a consideration in the policy.”
Changes to the permit policy are expected to decrease the number of students entering the school district next year by roughly 350 students, which will cut about $1.5 million in state funding. School officials are still looking for ways to recoup the loss in revenue.
“At this point in time I don’t see any (funding) opportunities from the state. They are slashing funding to school districts,” Brownley said. “We’ll have to look from within and continue to look for opportunities from the outside as we go along.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 8, 2002. Read the original PDF.