MSN_092018

4 | September 20, 2018 | Malibu surfside news news
malibusurfsidenews.com
AMPS meeting offers platform for Measure M advocates
Voters to have say
in bond measure
this November
Michele Willer-Allred
Freelance Reporter
Proponents of Measure
M say they fear that plans
to improve and modernize
Malibu schools will not
come to fruition if the ballot
measure doesn’t pass in
November.
About 60 community
members gathered on
Wednesday, Sept. 12, at
Malibu City Hall for a
meeting sponsored by Advocates
for Malibu Public
Schools to learn more
about Measure M.
The Malibu-specific
bond would solely be used
for construction, reconstruction
and replacement
of school’s facilities, including
the acquisition or
lease of school facilities.
The money could not be
used for other purposes,
such as staff salaries or
other school operating expenses.
Under the bond proposal,
Malibu’s prospective general
obligation bonds to
be issued would come out
to the maximum principal
amount of $195 million.
Current improvements
and additions to the
schools are being paid for
by previous school bonds
that were jointly approved
by Santa Monica and Malibu
voters.
The Santa Monica-Malibu
Unified School District
in July agreed to put two
separate bond measures in
front of voters — one in
Malibu and one in Santa
Monica, and the money
from each bond could only
be used in each respective
city.
Each bond would need
55-percent approval to pass
in each city.
“Passing Measure M is
foundational for everything
that we’ve worked for and
future projects,” said SM-
MUSD Board Member
Craig Foster, the only Malibu
resident on the board.
Foster said a number of
changes have been made
at Malibu schools this year,
including the renovation
of Malibu High School in
compliance with the Environmental
Protection
Agency’s threshold requirements
with removal of
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
at the school.
Foster said that instead
of just patching the campus,
there are plans to remove
old buildings and
renovate and modernize
the campus to facilitate future
learning.
“If we did not have this
bond coming, we’d be paying
something like $20
million to try to remediate
buildings,” Foster said.
Foster said the bonds also
would fund district plans to
merge both Juan Cabrillo
and Point Dume Elementary
Schools, and to give
“Passing Measure M is
foundational for everything that
we’ve worked for and future
projects.”
Craig Foster — SMMUSD board member and
Malibu resident
middle-schoolers currently
at the high school their own
designated campus.
He said enhanced school
perimeter security would
be funded through the
bond.
SMMUSD Superintendent
Ben Drati said he was
restricted with promoting
the Malibu bond because
of legal reasons, but added
that bonds help make repairs
to facilities because
the state only provides
operational funds to the
schools.
Foster added the bond
will be used on an as-needed
basis, and that a Malibu
School Facilities District
Advisory Committee will
make recommendations to
the School Board for their
approval.
Also discussed at the
meeting was the creation
of an independent Malibu
school district separate
from Santa Monica.
Foster said right now
there is an “agreement in
principal” with SMMUSD
to create a Malibu district,
and the district has hired
a consultant to spearhead
those discussions.
Drati and Malibu City
Manager Reva Feldman
met on Sept. 5 with representatives
from the Los
Angeles Local Agency
Formation Commission
to inform them that good
progress is being made,
but more time is needed
with the separation agreement.
Drati said the meeting
was successful, and that
LAFCO liked the progress
that has been made so far.
Drati added that he had
heard from other superintendents
that a district separation
process can take up
to 10 years to complete,
but that Malibu and the
district working collaboratively
could make the process
easier and quicker.
Foster, who is running
for re-election to one of
four seats on the School
Board in November, is the
only Malibu resident on
the ballot out of five candidates.
He emphasized that
separation of the districts
is important because the
board currently made up of
mostly Santa Monica residents
makes decisions for
Malibu.
Malibu and Santa Monica
also agreed in June to
separate their fundraising
efforts for their respective
schools, and one organization
in Malibu will be handling
it next year.
“The most important
thing is, every single dollar
that’s raised from private
funds in Malibu stays in
Malibu,” Foster said to the
applause of the audience.
Foster said that the passage
of Measure M also is
important to improve the
reputation of schools in
Malibu and help with property
values. Right now, he
said enrollment in Malibu
schools has dropped significantly,
with the PCB
problem contributing to
that. Getting local fundraising
back, and having
a new plan will bring children
back to the schools,
he said.
“If we don’t pass this
bond, none of this is going
to happen,” Foster said.
“We’re going to be at a
dead stop, and that’s not
where I want to go.”
Foster said the passage
of the bond also is important
to show the entire
School Board that Malibu
can also have an independent
school district. He
also said it is important to
work collaboratively and
positively with the school
district and board to continue
getting things accomplished.
Drati said that if the
bond passed in Santa
Monica and not in Malibu,
the board and the district
would look at it as “a black
eye to the district.”
“I know the interest of
the board is to have a successful
Malibu,” Drati
said. “They are rooting
for this thing to work and
they’re not going to want
to jeopardize this like you
guys might be fearing.”
AMPS was formed in
2010 by residents, parents,
teachers and concerned
citizens devoted to creating
an independent Malibu
school district dedicated to
excellence in education.
Kathryn Alice, president
of AMPS, acknowledged
that, right now, there is
reason to celebrate in
Malibu because things are
finally going in a positive
direction with schools in
the city.
“I want us to celebrate
because we have never
been where we are now,”
Alice said. “For many
years we were kind of invisible,
working in the
roots under the system.
Right now, we got a bloom
and another bloom and
another bloom. We have a
lot to be excited about. We
have a lot of work to do.”
“The most important
thing is for you to vote
and help get Measure M to
pass,” Alice said.
civic
From Page 3
sidered, but that there were
speed and visibility concerns.
Many members of the
public also advocated for
a lower speed limit. They
pointed out that the speed
limit goes from 20 mph on
the section of Civic Center
Way from Cross Creek
to Webb Way, but up to 40
mph west of Webb Way.
Chakravarthy responded
that a new speed limit study
could only be done after
the improvement project is
complete.
“[The speed limit was]
set based on prevailing
speeds,” Chakravarthy
said. “You can do a
study, see if anything has
changed, but it is prudent
to wait until this project is
done, because of the changes.
Speed limits cannot be
set arbitrarily.”
The maps detailing the
project and the Power-
Point that accompanied the
presentation were not yet
available when the Malibu
Surfside News went to
press, but the presenters assured
the audience that they
will be available on the City
website soon, at www.mali
bucity.org/777/Civic-Cen
ter-Way-Improvements.