Faces old and new in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) will be taking on several district administrative roles going forward, including a familiar name being chosen as the new principal at Edison Language Academy.
At the May 16 meeting of the district’s Board of Education, the board approved Elizabeth Ipina as the new Edison principal, with Ipina replacing Lori Orum who will retire next month after 19 years in the role. Ipina has worked at Edison for 28 years in a number of positions, most recently as assistant principal for the past three years.
Ipina, who has two children graduates in the district’s immersion program, said she accepts the position “with great pleasure and honor.”
“Over the years, there’s something that I’ve heard many people say about Edison, that it’s a gem in our district,” Ipina said. “Knowing how amazing all the other schools are, I wouldn’t say we’re the only gem, but I do want to say that Edison definitely has its unique sparkle.”
She added that Edison’s 90-10 Dual Language model, where English instructional time increases by 10 percent from first to fifth grade, eventually dividing instruction equally between English and Spanish, is the “most effective program” for educating English learners in the district.
“Dual language education is an act of social justice, and Edison embraces this opportunity with courage and commitment,” Ipina said. “We work hard to ensure that our students’ identities, languages and cultures are affirmed. We celebrate our diversity and we learn from each other.”
The board also approved of two new roles, including Walter Gavidia as a new Samohi House Principal. Gavidia has 14 years of experience in SMMUSD in roles such as assistant principal, administration designee and math coordinator.
“I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to collaborating with all members of our school community,” Gavidia said.
A new face in the district is the newly-hired Special Education Coordinator, Dr. Brenda Clarke. The educator comes to SMMUSD with decades of experience, recently being in leadership roles as assistant principal of student outcomes at Santa Barbara High School and in the special education department at Palisades Charter High School.
“I am so excited to join (SMMUSD), this is a dream come true and I can’t wait to get started and help some kids,” Clarke said.
The board also looked at district finances during the meeting, receiving a presentation on the 2023-24 third budget revision from Assistant Superintendent of Business and Fiscal Services Melody Canady and Director of Fiscal Services Gerardo Cruz.
In the district’s unrestricted general fund, the fund balance decreased by $2.31 million due to a $1.25 million decrease in total revenues and a raise of $1.05 million in total expenditures. The revenue decrease did not come from a shortfall, rather a $1.5 million transfer of local general fund contributions from the unrestricted fund to the restricted fund.
Local revenues actually increased by $242,158, mainly due to $202,158 in rent and lease revenue from the gross sales agreement with Hilton Santa Monica Hotel & Suites. The hotel, located at 1707 4th St. adjacent to the SMMUSD offices, has a ground lease agreement with the district, as well as an agreement that gives the district a portion of the location’s gross sales. The district anticipated about $800,000 in revenue from the agreement this year, but received around $1 million instead, adding the extra $202,158 into budget revisions.
“Business is doing well in Santa Monica which we’re really proud and happy to be a part of,” Canady said.
A large chunk of expenditure increases in the general fund came from a $665,000 increase in utility costs from the last budget revision, something staff noted they will be researching further.
“Everybody’s feeling that crunch … that is a huge amount that we hadn’t anticipated, it’s a little bit difficult sometimes to know that’s coming,” Canady said. “Those are things we are looking into.”
Another financial crunch came in the form of increased food and paper supply costs. The district’s cafeteria special fund decreased by $652,000 since the second interim budget report dated January 31, and Canady pointed that food and paper supplies “continue to rise” in cost, something the district has experienced “time and time again.” Canady added that staff doesn’t see costs of food decreasing, and will continue to have quality in required food and paper supplies.
Finances will once again be broached on Wednesday during a special board meeting, featuring a presentation of the tentative agreement for revenue sharing related to Malibu unification. Officials representing the district and the City of Malibu have been mediating a property tax sharing agreement since February 2022, one of three agreements necessary to split the district into a Santa Monica Unified School District and a Malibu Unified School District. The other agreements, an Operational Transfer Agreement and a Joint Powers Agreement, are still pending and will not be part of the Wednesday presentation.