Board Meeting tonight at 5:00PM.  If you'd like to be texted when it's time to make your public comment, let me know.  You just need to sign on from 4.30PM on.  Call me if you run into any trouble.  310-600-7306

https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030435&MID=4723

ACTION NEEDED: TELL THE SCHOOL BOARD TO PRESS PAUSE ON NEW CONSTRUCTION. WE NEED TO GET IT RIGHT. 

Tonight, Thursday (12/17), the school board is set to approve staff recommendations for spending the remaining $98 million of the 2018 bond. Despite getting public comments last week, this item is not being further discussed because the board and Superintendent scheduled it as a consent item, which is supposed to be for items that "are considered routine, require no discussion, and are normally approved all at once by the Board of Education."

The projects do not align with community priorities to improve bathrooms and expand open space. Instead they decrease open space and spend K-12 funds on preschools and experimental spaces. It also doesn't appear that there was any communication with school sites about the chosen projects after the October community meetings that few people attended. Once this money is spent, the schools won't get what they actually need without another expensive bond and, in the meantime, some of these projects will do more harm than good to the campuses.

Please send an email today expressing your concerns and then sign up to speak on Consent Items. Below is a sample and you can add specific issues from your school. Linked is the change.org petition to save the Samohi History Building. Please continue to share this petition and please join us at the next board meeting on January 14th. 

DRAFT EMAIL:
To: brd@smmusd.org, bdrati@smmusd.org, samohialumni@gmail.com, advocacy@smconservancy.org, fixsmmusd@gmail.com, council@smgov.net, senator.allen@sen.ca.gov

Re: School Board Agenda Item G.3.xi. (Approval of Project List – Districtwide – Santa Monica Campus Assessments) and G.3.x (Restroom Improvements) - OPPOSE

Dear School Board and Superintendent -

I am writing to oppose the approval of the Campus Assessment Project List and the Restroom Improvements. There is no need to rush forward with these projects that do not meet community goals or bring the campuses in compliance with the Department of Education's toilet requirements. I am asking you to press pause on new projects and do the following instead:

1. DO NOT SPEND THE $98 MILLION UNTIL THE BATHROOMS AND HVAC UPGRADES ARE FULLY DESIGNED AND BUDGETED. HVAC projects have been pushed until the summer of 2021. We need to see a full HVAC plan that complies with current CDE requirements and recommendations for Covid-19. It appears that many campuses do not have enough toilets and urinals to meet CDE requirements. The scope of the Restroom Improvements needs to be compliant with CDE Requirements. It would be fiscally irresponsible to use up all the bond money without completely updating HVAC and bathrooms, as promised by the bond campaign

2. TOP PRIORITY MUST BE GIVEN TO CREATION OF OPEN SPACE. The community is expecting the removal of portables and the construction of 2-story buildings 
instead in order to create more open space. This goal was ignored and most projects are 1-story and take up more space than the portables, reducing open space. There must be a clearly stated goal for playground, sports field and open space per capita that apply consistently to all campuses. Preschools should not be added to each elementary school because they reduce open space and increase circulation issues. In addition, the renovations should not be designed for maximum class sizes, which results in larger classrooms and reduced open space. Here in Santa Monica, we have passed taxes to reduce class size and should not be planning for fewer teachers and more students in a class.

3. FUND HISTORIC PRESERVATION EXPERTISE TO STUDY ADAPTIVE REUSE OF THE SAMOHI HISTORY BUILDING AND TO SURVEY ALL CAMPUSES AND CREATE GUIDELINES FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION. Phase 3 must be paused because it is not too late to save the History Building. According to the District's own recent memo, it would be cheaper for taxpayers to rehab and retrofit the building. This would leave more funds available for the remaining campuses. Saving the History Building is also the more sustainable option and provides and opportunity for teaching sustainability, and honoring the past as we modernize for the future gives context and value to the study of history and culture. We do not want our public funds to be used to destroy our cultural resources.

4. REDO THE ED SPECS TO INCLUDE ALL PLANNING REQUIREMENTS - The shortcomings in the Campus Assessments and Bathroom Improvements proposed by staff reveal that the Ed Specs do not address all of considerations needed. While not on the agenda tonight, the Board needs to tell staff to redo the Ed Specs to include HVAC, bathrooms, and open space. It is fiscally irresponsible to move forward on campus renovations until we have a complete master plan for each school site.

5. INCREASE ENGAGEMENT WITH BOTH THE PARENTS AND THE BROADER COMMUNITY THAT IS PAYING FOR THE BONDS. Regardless of the outreach cited by staff, it clearly didn't work. This means really listening to the community, not presenting almost-final plans after a series of insular meetings and calling that a process. The outreach must include more meetings with the schools and also meeting with the Neighborhood Organizations to answer questions relating to priorities and the impact on the surrounding area of potential changes. This School Board meeting is part of the process and we are tired of being told that speaking out here is too late.

Thank you,
[Your name]

[Santa Monica Resident and SMMUSD Parent]
Please include this in the public comments for Items G3x and G3xi of the 12/17 School Board meeting.