On a regular basis, we will be publishing letters from residents to residents in the edition we call “MB Residents Speak…” If you have information or an opinion, and you would like to share it with your MB neighbors, please email your letter to MBStrong2021@gmail.com.
Dear MB Residents,
I am concerned about a confluence of issues involving our school district that shows a disturbing lack of transparency.
Here are the issues as I see them:
EDSJI has been introduced to our educational program without widespread parental involvement to thoroughly investigate this highly complex program.
A citizens group drafts Measure A to ask for a $1,095 school tax. This works out to roughly $12M per year. This requires only 50% plus 1 vote to pass. Had the school board proposed this Measure it would have needed 2/3 majority to pass. There is no line-item budget for how this money is to be spent. There are 8 bullet points in Measure A of what the money can be used for. These 8 bullet points could be broadly interpreted to cover anything the district deems is beneficial to the educational experience. Interestingly EDSJI is not specifically mentioned as one of the 8 items… the authors realize this is a controversial issue that they will be able to fund under the broadly construed bullet points so it need not be specifically mentioned. Measure A raises $12M and last year the budget shortfall was approximately $1.7M. Our citizens have a right to know where their money will be spent.
On April 20th, MBUSD adopted a 12-page EDSJI Action Plan with no mention of what this will cost. It is a plan that transforms the learning experience. Please read it. Click this link to go to the EDSJI webpage.
If you went to a bank asking to borrow $12M they would insist on a business plan to show exactly how you plan on spending the money. To ask for $12M without a specific plan as to exactly how the money is to be spent is making an unreasonable request on our voters. The citizens of Manhattan beach have a long history of being incredibly generous and responsive to the needs of the school district when it is shown to them specifically what the needs of the district are.
In summary, we have had a controversial program thrust upon our students where there is no budget set aside for it. We are asking the voters for $12M without disclosing exactly what this money is for… All of this requires only a simple majority of the votes instead of the normal standard of 2/3. We need transparency in all matters involving our school district and currently, we are seeing quite the opposite.
Sincerely,
Mike Welsh - MB Resident
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