Snapshots of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) student testing scores, the district’s budget and the district’s commitment to social justice will all be broached at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.
The penultimate meeting of the board during the 2023-24 school year session will feature a presentation on student achievement lead data for Quarter 4, which focuses on diagnostic assessments taken in the spring along with 2024 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) summative assessments.
The presentation, to be given by SMMUSD Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Stacy Williamson, found that 71% of students were at or above benchmarks on Star Early Literacy/Reading assessments taken in the spring, while 76% of test takers scored at or above benchmarks on Star Math tests. The presentation will also touch on CAASPP percentile ranks as well as middle and high school grades for marking periods four and five.
Another discussion will be held for the 2023-24 school year budget’s third revision period, to be presented to the board by SMMUSD Assistant Superintendent of Business and Fiscal Services Melody Canady. The revised budget shows the district’s financial position as of April 30, and also includes an analysis on multi-year projections for the district’s general fund over the next two fiscal years.
The district’s current net ending fund balance reserve, shown as a percentage of total general fund expenditures, transfers and other uses, saw an increase of 3.43% from the 2023-24 second interim report. The reserve is now at 14.62%, leaving an approximately $26.8 million reserve for up to two months of general fund expenditures. The reserve is also up 2.89% compared to the 2022-23 third interim report.
In the pursuit of the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) goal of making sure “all graduates are socially just and ready for college and careers,” the district implemented Social Justice Standards and gave students opportunities to engage in American Cultures and Ethnic Studies (ACES) courses that the district states “are rigorous and culturally relevant.” The 2024 annual update on social justice within the district will be given by American Cultures and Ethnic Studies teacher Erin Hill, highlighting the actions and initiatives taken this year when it comes to ACES courses, curriculum guides and staff professional development related to social justice.
SMMUSD ACES courses take place at Santa Monica High School, Malibu High School, Olympic High School and the Samohi Project Based Learning pathway. Courses include Samohi senior English courses in African-American Literature and Chicanx/Latinx American Literature, as well as classes focusing on Feminist Literature and graphic novels. In addition, Samohi’s Freshman Seminar has been updated to include themes of “Identity & Community” and “Facing History and Ourselves: Exploring Hard History, Race and Membership in American Society.”
Students weren’t the only ones gaining social justice education this year, as both elementary and secondary teachers in the district received professional development in social studies, focused on things like history-social science framework and culturally responsive teaching. Part of the development training was putting teachers into groups, reviewing and discussing items like Pico Boulevard’s street murals and media pieces such as “The Great Indian Migration Los Angeles 1772-1840.”