School Oversight Committee Has Trouble Meeting

By Teresa Rochester

Cramped calendars and over-extended schedules are to blame for the Santa Monica City Council-mandated Financial Oversight Committee's failure to hold its first meeting, school district officials said.

It's been seven weeks since the Board of Education selected the seven member committee that is charged with reviewing the district's finances and making recommendations on areas of concern. But the first meeting has yet to be scheduled.

Supt. Neil Schmidt said that getting all seven members to come in during on an afternoon has proven nearly impossible. He is now considering suggesting morning hours.

"It's like pulling teeth to get all of them in the same room at the same time," Schmidt said. "We're trying to get everybody there. That's the only thing that's holding us up."

Schmidt said that he would like to see the committee meet this month. Committee members also said they are anxious to get the ball rolling, especially with several pressing financial issues facing the district this fall.

"With things coming up this fall, specifically the teachers contract and the parcel tax, it's in the district's interest to have this thing in place before they begin," said committee member Craig Hamilton. He added that the delays will "continue to (make it) appear that the district doesn't know what it's doing financially."

But Schmidt said that the delays in getting the committee together won't have any effect on the parcel tax or the teachers contract.

"I don't think it should have any bearing," Schmidt said. "It should take them six to nine months just to get up to speed."

Committee member Patricia Hoffman agreed.

"We probably weren't going to be involved with the teachers contract," said Hoffman, a former member of the Board of Education. "The district advisory councils are not allowed to step on the toes of the unions nor should we."

Another issue the committee may deal with is a list of concerns outlined in a letter from the County Office of Education. The letter cautions the district about its financial practices relating to special education, its reliance on one-time gifts from the city of Santa Monica and Malibu and a dependence on permit students to bolster revenue.

From the beginning the formation of the committee, which was mandated by the City Council in March as a condition for the beleaguered school district's receipt of a $2.1 million bailout grant, has been fraught with delays.

Squabbles over specific and implied language about the public process and the nature of the committee often ended in deadlocked and delayed votes by the board. The board also argued over whether or not candidates should be interviewed.

Finally, in late July the board announced which committee members will serve two-year terms. Along with Hamilton and Hoffman the committee will consist of three former members of the district's Financial Task Force Advisory Council. They are RAND Executive Vice President Michael Rich, prominent land use attorney Chris Harding and Babette Heimbuch.

Other committee members include Nancy Ong and Gloria Reisner.