It takes a village to raise students within the school district and the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District continues to try and improve theirs.
This week’s Thursday, August 1 SMMUSD board of education meeting will see an agenda with items ranging from facility improvement project updates, a community school initiative and honoring a beloved track coach and community member.
Facility Improvement Projects
An update of current and upcoming bond-funded projects will be presented to the board. The presentation will include Measure BB and Measure ES-funded projects and some projects funded by Measure SMS and Measure M.
The district’s Facility Improvement Project website shows updates including: installing new toilets, drinking fountains and water bottle fillers at Webster Elementary; fixing a water leak at Malibu Middle and High School’s upper playground; constructing new classrooms at Olympic and more.
The presentation will also include schedule and budget updates for projects in the district.
Coach Cady remembered
Beloved Samohi track coach Patrick Cady passed away in June of this year, a passing that left Samohi and the community with an irreplaceable void.
Cady was a beloved Samohi teacher and coach who impacted the lives of students and staff, dedicating his life to enriching others in the Santa Monica and Malibu communities.
He worked at Samohi for 34 years and to honor Coach Cady, the SMMUSD board will consider naming the Samohi track in his honor.
If the renaming is agreed to, the item will be brought back for board approval on August 15.
Community School Initiative
SMMUSD was one of 15 school districts selected by the Los Angeles County Office of Education to participate in their Community Schools Initiative, which would take place at Samohi.
A presentation for the initiative says the purpose of Community Schools is to improve the lives of students through service, leadership and advocacy so that students are college-ready and civic-ready.
The initiative would do this by making Samohi a hub of sorts for “uniting families, educators and community partners to provide all students with top-quality academics, enrichment, health and social services, and opportunities.”
The initiative would see partnerships with LA Public Works, LA County Library, LA County Department of Mental Health and the probation and Parks and Rec departments.
Highlighting areas of need for the initiative include increasing graduation rates, decreasing chronic absenteeism and dropout rates, reducing suspensions and increasing family engagement.
angel@smdp.com
