A proposed plan not to fill a retirement in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) elementary school music teacher ranks recently put the district’s Board of Education at a pause.
The board passed its Measure R 2024-25 annual plan at its June 25 meeting, but not without much discussion of what they were actually passing when it came to one portion of the document. Measure R, approved by voters in Santa Monica and Malibu in 2008, serves as a permanent parcel tax to fund school programs that cannot be funded through state educational funding alone, such as art and music programs in the district.
In the approved document, the Measure R budget calls for 10 full-time equivalencies, or 10 teachers, in the elementary music department. However, the retirement of choral music educator Susan Justin has left one of the 10 positions open, and there has been a recommendation by district officials to change the amount of positions from 10 to 9. The budget was passed with the 10 number intact, partly due to having to approve the budget in order to spend money as of July 1, and also with the fact this number can change as needed in future interim budgets.
During the meeting, SMMUSD Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mark Kelly stated that leaving the position unfilled is done to reflect rapidly declining enrollment in third, fourth and fifth grade students. Kelly added that he and SMMUSD Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator Tom Whaley have made adjustments to manage the cut "by attrition," a typical practice carried across programs facing similar situations in the past.
"All of our schools, when we have declining enrollment, face some adjustments … we need to look across the district in various aspects … meaning fewer FTEs," Kelly said. "They’re still managing to offer those programs. We have worked with Mr. Whaley to look at the elementary scheduling for next year and believe we can continue to offer the elementary program with the 9 FTEs."
Kelly added that "no teacher is losing their job because of this," and that all SMMUSD school sites have experienced lower FTEs at one time or another. Nonetheless, several elementary music staff members expressed the added stress their positions will feel come August.
"Declined enrollment has not changed our teaching schedules," Grant Elementary School Lead Music Teacher Sean Pawling said. "We currently teach 22 sections and travel to three schools a day, four to five days a week. As it stands, the proposed music schedule negatively impacts student learning, student equity and teacher equity … this does not make sense in the district where music is valued and celebrated by our community."
Roosevelt Elementary School Lead Music Teacher Lindsay Okumura echoed that classes across the board will become a tighter proposition, specifically at McKinley Elementary School and Will Rogers Learning Community because of teacher scheduling conflicts with Malibu schools.
"We have already combined sections to the point that our homogenous classes have been compromised … if we keep chipping away at the spirit of this program, it’s going to become unsustainable to the teachers and most importantly, detrimental to the students that we teach," Okumura said.
The lament of the staffers in public comment eventually moved to confusion of board members during item discussion, with differing thoughts on how the plan was communicated amongst officials and if the Measure R budget could be passed despite the plan to have 9 positions instead of the budgeted 10.
"What’s before us is to pass the [district] budget and the Measure R plan and both have the 10 [FTEs] in it … I’m trying to understand how this has become an issue this evening … something doesn’t feel right here to me and I’m trying to understand that," Boardmember Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein said.
Kelly responded by stating that prior communication was given about contemplating not filling the position, informing staff that this was a "likely recommendation."
Aside from the elementary teachers, Measure R funds arts and music amenities such as accompanists and music aides for secondary schools, staffing and supplies for the district’s mariachi program and repair services for district-owned musical instruments. For 2024-25, Measure R will also establish a one-time funding in capital equipment for new and refurbished pianos to the tune of $100,000; as well as establish a new ongoing Music Composition Fellowship program that will cost $50,000.
