> ## 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.

# Problem students getting a new start
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/problem-students-getting-a-new-start/
- Published: 2005-08-29T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:37:42.000Z
- Author: Ryan Hyatt
- Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import

*Community day school will have six students its first year*

MEMORIAL PARK — High school students with checkered pasts will have a shot at reclaiming their futures when they take part in a new school geared toward them this fall.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will begin testing its community day school (CDS) on Tuesday, Sept. 6, the first day of class. The CDS will provide a smaller and personalized learning environment for high school students who have been incarcerated, expelled, missed too many classes or have had other disciplinary issues preventing them from attaining educational goals.

Community members said the CDS is a significant result of a gang violence workshop held on April 9\. At that meeting, city and school officials, service providers and residents agreed the CDS would allow youth to regain entry into the school system and open up further opportunities in their lives.

However, designating the CDS at Memorial Park didn’t come without a few snags. Board members of the Police Activities League, housed in the same vicinity of the CDS, wanted to have a better understanding of who the students were and what steps the district would take to make sure a constructive plan was in place that wouldn’t jeopardize their chances of success. The PAL board also wanted to know what the students would do once class was dismissed in the afternoon.

Two meetings were held with the PAL board in July, as well as the Recreation and Parks Commission.

The meetings were reassuring for PAL’s board, said Patty Loggins-Tazi, PAL’s supervisor.

“We all have the same goal and want to see the kids achieve with the fullest potential,” Loggins-Tazi said. “At the same time, we wanted to make sure a line of communication was in place with the district in case concerns arise during the school year.”

Loggins-Tazi said the district has been very helpful to this end, and that Deasy has agreed to update police as needed on the progress of the CDS.

Alex Munoz, a recreation and parks commissioner, said he believed placing the CDS near PAL was a step in the right direction.

“Inviting this segment of the population near PAL is a good thing, because PAL has a reputation of being exclusive,” Munoz said.

The classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the community rooms at Memorial Park, 1401 Olympic Blvd., as part of a collaboration between the school district and City Hall.

The pilot program will enroll six students who will receive four hours of instruction in core academic subjects in the first half of the day, followed by lunch and a career or vocational course in the afternoon. Students completing the day’s program will be taken to the district’s headquarters to do computer work until they are released.

There will be two teachers altogether, a full-and part-time behavioral aide, and a principal who will be making bi-weekly house calls for support.

The total cost for the operation and administration of the program will be $400,000\. More than half of the program, or $251,00, is being funded by revenues the district didn’t spend during the 2004- 05 fiscal year. An additional $125,000 is expected to be funded by federal, state and local grants.

On April 9, city and school officials, service providers and residents met to discuss ways to address gang violence in Santa Monica. At that workshop, the CDS was seen as a crucial component to facilitate the successful re-entry of formerly incarcerated and expelled youth into the school system.

The SMMUSD took the lead in organizing the CDS. However, state funding requires it be held off district property. In May, superintendent John Deasy requested City Hall consider providing space for the CDS, because he said the district was having difficulty finding a location.

City staff determined Memorial Park would make a good site, since it was close to the district’s office with available space, according to a city staff report.

The district will be able to use the community rooms for free.

Deasy said he is thankful City Hall has been willing to help the district attain its educational goals for all students.

“This was a commitment we made at the gang workshop, and I’m glad the city has been willing to help us achieve the goals of quality education residents expect,” Deasy said.

> “This was a commitment we made at the gang workshop, and I’m glad the city has been willing to help us achieve the goals of quality education residents expect.” — - JOHN DEASY Schools superintendent

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 29, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/082905.pdf?ref=smdp.com)