By Jonathan Friedman
Staff Writer
October 7, 2009 -- Problems with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s Equity Fund program came to light at last Thursday’s Board of Education meeting as District leaders debated how money from the fund should be spent.
Created in 2004, the Equity Fund program requires 15 percent of all money from donations used by schools and the District as a whole be placed into the fund. Some kinds of donations are exempt. Most of the fund money is distributed to the various SMMUSD schools based on a formula to allow those with more struggling students to receive a larger share.
A small percentage of the fund is supposed to be designated for District-wide programs. The issue of what is a District-wide program was the focus of most of the debate at the meeting.
District staff had proposed that $95,000 of the nearly $444,000 in the fund go toward six supposed district-wide programs, including two that are only used by Santa Monica students: Young Collegians, which assists potential first generation collegians, and Connect for Success, which helps rising ninth-graders who have struggled in middle school.
Board President Ralph Mechur and Board member Kelly Pye refused to support Equity Fund money for these programs because they take place at Santa Monica High School and are not used by any Malibu students.
“We have to allocate it as we explained to people and promised people we would,” Pye said. “I want people to have confidence throughout the District that we are looking at District-wide initiatives.”
Mechur and Pye said they support both programs, but felt funding for them should come from the District’s General Fund.
The duo’s dissention proved crucial because since there were only five board members at the meeting, the measure received just three votes of support.
According to Board rules, an item must get four votes to pass regardless of how many people attend the meeting because four votes constitutes a majority at a usual seven-member meeting .
Board member Oscar de la Torre, who noted the programs in question could be used by Malibu students if they needed them, said he disagrees they are not District-wide initiatives.
Citing statistics showing that Black and Latino students at Santa Monica High overall did poorly in state testing, de la Torre said it was crucial to fund these programs that are supposed to address what he called “an incredible crisis.”
“Anything we can do to target the resources to students of greatest need, I think is going to be a smart thing,” he said. “That’s why the Equity Fund was developed.”
De la Torre blasted his colleagues who did not vote in favor of the funding while still praising the programs.
“When you have an opportunity to vote for your values, then you do it,” said de la Torre, later adding, “If you say you support these programs, then vote to fund these programs. Don’t say you support them and then vote to not fund them.”
The issue of how to spend the money allocated for District-wide programs as well as the $288,000 slated for the various schools will return to the Board for a vote at its Oct. 15 meeting. An additional $60,000 is proposed to remain in a reserve.
The available money in this year’s fund is nearly $80,000 higher than the 2008-09 total. This increase can be attributed to $80,000 being unspent last year and being forwarded to the 2009-10 fund. Plus, there were no contributions to the fund last year from Malibu High School and Malibu elementary schools, Point Dume and Webster.
Their failure to contribute, Mechur said, was, among other reasons, due to a concern about disorganization at Santa Monica High.
Officials from those schools say their contributions this year include money that should have been submitted last year. Several Board members said it is expected those schools will be adding even more money to the pot prior to the next Board meeting.
Mechur said he would be meeting with PTA and administrative officials at the various school sites to discuss the program. “We have to get everybody back on the same [page] that this is good for the District,” Mechur said.
De la Torre added, “We have to ensure that everybody participates, that everybody pays into it [the Equity Fund]. Because that’s the only way this works.”
