SMC — When Alexandria Easter was laid off from her position as a retail graphic designer, she decided to forgo the job hunt to fulfill a long-time dream.
SMMUSD HDQTRS — Through the years of budget headaches and funding cuts from the state to public education, threatening the continuation of certain services, at least one district program has continued to shine in the face of it all — the arts.
CITYWIDE — When it comes to improving special education in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, an ad hoc committee of parents and students have more than one idea.
SMMUSD HDQTRS — Tim Cuneo, a former education consultant who arrived here last summer to take over a district that had gone through a series of major personnel changes and challenges, is expected to be named the next superintendent.
SMMUSD HDQTRS — For years City Hall has remained one of the steadiest financial backers of the school district, providing stability and a reliable revenue stream to an educational institution whose security can be influenced by the state’s fiscal volatility.
SMMUSD HDQTRS — Public school officials last week celebrated the addition of four newly certified National Board teachers, raising the overall number to 52, six of whom are now administrators.
CITYWIDE As the economy forces locals to save money — cutting vacations and frivolous expenditures — one area that has remained relatively unaffected by the downturn is private education.
CITY HALL It took more than 18 months, a time marked by the release of a critical report on special education and the surprising resignation of a controversial figure, but school officials finally got what they wanted.
KANSAS AVENUE Some students may come from families with a steady income, others from households where the next rent payment is in doubt, but all pupils at one elementary school are showing that achievement in the classroom is possible regardless of their economic background.
SAMOHI Richard McKinnon laughs when he remembers the day a Domino’s Pizza deliveryman was an hour late dropping off an order for a few Santa Monica High School tennis players, not because of traffic, but rather confusion as to how to enter the campus.
VIRGINIA AVENUE PARK For Robbie French, the summer of 2008 and those in years past were as different as night and day. “The previous summers were total chaos,” French, who owns Perfect Day Surf Camp, said in regards to the overcrowded beaches of yore.
DOWNTOWN A group that formed this summer in response to accountability and transparency issues in the school district threw its support behind two incumbents, all while warning voters about some of the concerns it has with the two candidates.
