15 Percent = Equal Opportunity

February 18, 2004

Dear Editor,

This Thursday evening, the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District’s Board of Education will consider a proposal from Superintendent John Deasy to modify its policy regarding the District’s acceptance and distribution of private donations to our schools. ("Deasy Proposes Changes to Gift Policy," Feb 18)

As originally proposed, this policy would have resulted in the creation of an Equity Fund setting aside 15 percent of all donations received for distribution to District schools on a weighted basis. The proposed weighted formula took into account (i) the absolute number of students in each school as well as (ii) the number of children in that school’s lunch, English language learning, and special education programs, and (iii) the percentage of children scoring below accepted proficiency levels in standardized testing for English and math.

Such a policy would serve to narrow the gap in charitable donations received by schools in less wealthy portions of the District when compared with schools located in the District’s more affluent neighborhoods.

In response to vocal opposition to the proposed policy from certain parents within the District, the Superintendent’s office has modified the proposed policy so that only 8 percent of the first $800,000 in private donations raised, or $64,000, would be set aside for the Equity Fund.

Here’s hoping that the District’s Board would consider (i) returning to the original formula of 15 percent of all funds raised or, at the very least, (ii) setting aside a full 15 percent of the first $800,000 raised for this very important purpose.

In light of anticipated cutbacks in funding for public education, private donations will take on a more critical role in the next few years. It’s imperative that we take into account the needs of those schools in our District which will be least able to generate additional private donations from their own parent support groups due to a lack of disposable income.

It is in every District parent’s self interest to ensure that sufficient resources are distributed to all elementary and middle schools in order to help raise the level of performance at our senior high schools when all our children come together for their final four years.

In the face of pending budget cuts, our communities must make sacrifices in order to preserve the quality of education for our public schools. Given that fully 85 percent of a parent’s donation would have been directed to his or her child’s school, the Superintendent, in his original proposal, did not seem to be asking for too great a sacrifice.

The Board’s adoption of such a policy would send a clear message to those of our children attending less advantaged schools that our community cares for and actively stands with them. And it would send a clear message to those of our children who live in more advantaged neighborhoods that their parents believe in the lessons of compassion we teach in our various faith communities, and the principle of equal opportunity which is such an integral part of our democratic way of life.