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- What is the significance for our community of ensuring adequate funding for our school district, its programs, early childhood education and after school programs? Please elaborate.
Adequate funding for the District allows for job security for teachers and other District personnel, helping the district to retain its most talented personel. Adequte funding for the District allows the District to plan for its future on a consistent basis, without worrying that
certain classes or programs will disappear. Adequate funding of after-school programs (often shared between the City and District) ensures that the complementary after-school activities will occur and be available to all, regardless of economic need.
- What priority would you attach to ensuring adequate funding for our schools, after-school programs, and early childhood development in the city budget?
I have held these important community needs in high regard and have consistently voted to support and increase such funding in my time on the Council.
- Are you familiar with and do you fully support the agreement negotiated for the City to provide funding to the School District?
I am familiar with the agreement. See #4 for the answer to second part of the question.
- Do you fully support providing the maximum level of funding for our schools under City-School District agreement? Under what circumstances would you not be willing to do so?
I believe that the maximum level of funding specified in the agreement is a worthy goal and one that I would strive for.
However, the negotiated agreement talks about examining future economic conditions of the City as a baseline for discussions about adjusting the amount of the City's contribution.
Given that those conditions are by definition unknown, and that just two years ago, the City faced a potential operating deficit of many millions of dollars, it is impossible to project what could happen at that time.
While the agreement talks about projecting City revenues, it says nothing about projecting City expenses. The City may indeed enjoy the kind of revenues projected, but it may face also face extraordinary expenses that are entirely unforseen at this time. For example, we don't know what will become of the Farmer's Market lawsuits or what other potentially negative unforseen occurence may take place.
Therefore it is impossible for anyone to say with 100% certainly that a maximum increase of such significance would be automatic.
- If the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District faced a budget crisis brought on by circumstances outside the District's control, such as by funding cuts from the State of California, would you be willing to support crisis funding to the District even beyond the City-School District funding agreement?
I have been willing to support 'crisis funding' in the past and would be
open to doing so again in the future. In my time on the Council I have
voted several times have voted to add extra, 'one-time' money, over and above the City's annual contribution to the district.
- Please provide specific examples of how you have supported the district and the education of our youth? How have you shown leadership to ensure adequate city funding for our schools? As a council member, what kind of leadership will you show to address school funding?
In addition to the above, I am the Councilmember who asked the City Manager to make a special agenda item in February 1999 regarding providing gap funding to the District, to prevent lay-offs. This was the first year since I was on the Council that the District faced a major operating deficit, rather than just asking the Council for more operating money even though it had no deficit. My action helped ensure that no-layoffs would occur and that no teachers would leave with the potential for a layoff hanging over their head.
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