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# Santa Monica Spend money on our students first
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-spend-money-on-our-students-first-editor/
- Published: 2007-10-23T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T03:36:09.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Malibu, #archive-import

*By Dr. Lisette Bauersachs Santa Monica*

I spent over four hours at the school board meeting (Oct. 18) and no one can explain why $23 million of Santa Monica and Malibu taxes (Measure BB funds) are slated for a new school (Edison Language Academy) that will serve only a couple hundred Santa Monica residents, at most. Given an overall decline of school-age students in our district, would not those widely sought after Measure BB funds serve a better purpose by refurbishing other larger SMMUSD elementary schools? Simply move those few hundred students to other SMMUSD campuses and eliminate the need to hand out massive out-of-district permits to LAUSD as our student population continues its downhill spiral.

Let’s return to community schools and stop building “commuter” schools for Los Angeles residents.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 23, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/102307.pdf?ref=smdp.com)