By Daily Press staff
Sen. Jack O’Connell shook hands and asked for votes from shoppers along the Third Street Promenade on Tuesday.
O’Connell, D-Santa Barbara, is running for Superintendent of Public Instruction on Nov. 5. Term-limits prevent him from running for his senate seat this year.
During O’Connell’s visit, Santa Monica-Malibu Superintendent John Deasy came to wish him luck on his campaign and let the candidate know about what the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is doing to raise money to keep class sizes small.
Voters will be asked whether they want to increase their parcel taxes to $300 to help make up for a decline in state funding. Without the added revenue, school officials say there will likely be a severe loss in academic programs and overcrowded classrooms.
O’Connell said he supports local municipalities taking on a greater responsibility to ensure their schools remain high caliber.
“That’s what’s so great about local control,” he said. “People can determine what level of service they want at their school by going beyond the amount of funding provided by the state.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 16, 2002. Read the original PDF.