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# The low down on DACs
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/the-low-down-on-dacs-editor/
- Published: 2006-01-19T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:03:53.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Malibu, #archive-import

*By Julia Brownley, President, SMMUSD Board of Education Kathy Wisnicki, Vice President, SMMUSD Board of Education*

On behalf of the Board of Education for the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District, we are writing to clarify some misinformation in a recent article regarding our policy on District Advisory Committees (DACs) (Santa Monica Mirror, Jan. 11- 17). Recognizing that we are accountable to the public in providing excellence in education for all students, and that public opinion is essential in our decision-making process, the board remains firmly committed to soliciting input from the public and respecting the extraordinary value of our DACs. Our philosophy has not changed in any way. We realize that without a collaborative process with our community members, it would not be possible for us to achieve the level of excellence in education that we are so proud of in our district.

At our Dec. 8 meeting, the Board of Education discussed our policy for District Advisory Committees. In our discussion, the board attempted to clarify and state the responsibilities for our District Advisory Committees in general. Additionally, we discussed the role and responsibilities of our district staff in an attempt to define the differences. Our revised DAC policy clearly indicates that the advice and input from our DACs is invaluable and helps to leverage and improve the board’s decision-making process. We took action on this policy at our meeting on Jan. 5\. We further discussed, but have not taken action on, charges for each specific District Advisory Committee. Specific charges for each DAC are identified and outlined on an annual basis, working collaboratively with each DAC and district staff. Contrary to the opinions expressed in the Mirror article, in many of the specific DAC charges we do seek advice and counsel on issues that have programmatic and/or budgetary implications for the board to consider.

It is our hope that we will continue to build consensus within the community and create a forum for public input by effectively utilizing the expertise of our DAC members. Public input and diversity of opinions are sacrosanct to good government and our democracy. On behalf of the board, we would like to publicly thank all DAC members for their extraordinary work and commitment on behalf of our students. We look forward to a strong and collaborative partnership in the future.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 19, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/011906.pdf?ref=smdp.com)