School Advocates Rally to Double City Funding

By Oliver Lukacs
Staff Writer

June 18 -- “Save our schools for God’s sake,” a child screamed into the microphone before running off into the crowd of nearly 1,000 rallying on the City Hall lawn Tuesday evening in a call to double the City’s $3.5 million funding to the school district.

Although Measure S -- which will pump $6.5 million a year for six years into the cash-strapped district -- will save the jobs of 91 teachers, education activists are counting on the City Council Tuesday night to salvage librarians, nurses, physical education teachers, teacher aids, custodians, and groundskeepers slated for termination.

Thrusting signs skyward and shouting “show me the money,” and “public education is important,” the parents marched around the lawn to the beat of the Samohi marching band with television camera crews rolling, as children ran around screaming “save our schools” and “I want to be on TV.”

Before picking up the signs provided by Save Our Schools committee members, the crowd lined up to sign a 3-foot-wide 4-inch-round paper scroll petition with pink, blue, yellow, and green Crayola markers asking the City Council to “double their commitment” to public education. (The council had boosted its $3 million in ongoing funding with a $500,000 infusion of additional funds in the current fiscal year.)

“We’re asking for another $3.5 million, but we’ll take what we can get,” said Louise Jaffe, co-Chair of Community for Excellent Public Schools.

If the council agrees to double its commitment, the school district will be completely spared from the budget axe, which is what superintendent John Deasy wanted.

“Right now we simply want to be made whole. Right now we just have to have what our kids had last year and nothing less,” Deasy told the crowd. If the services are cut the children “will get a vastly different education, an inferior education,” he said.

Rebecca Kennerly, a mother of two school children, feared “horrible consequences” would result from a lower level of education.

“We’ll have a whole generation of people that will be unable to take the reins of our government and our future,” she said. “These children out here whose educations are on the line will be the people who will be making the decision for us when we’re too old to make them.”

Nick, her young blue-eyed son, said, “I want people to save our schools, because then we’ll have a better education, and then we’ll know more when we grow up.” He then asked his mom if he could “scream in the microphone.”

Keeping the funding for public schools from going below what is already an “embarrassingly low” level “is important for these guys,” said David Lappen, patting the heads of his two school-age children.

“They got go out and compete in the world and they deserve a chance for a good education.” said Lappen, a nine-year Santa Monica resident and PTA member.

Nicole Picard, mother of two school-age children, outlined the consequences the council faces if it fails to heed the request.

“We will go to every City Council meeting and have 20 people speak at every opportunity to make sure that the meetings go into the wee hours of the morning, which is one thing that they hate,” she said with a laugh.

As if on cue, at the peak of the rally, the crowd got an unexpected visit from Mayor Richard Bloom, Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown and Council members Ken Genser and Michael Feinstein, who walked into the crowd screaming “save our schools.”

“We’ve heard you,” said Mayor Bloom, “we know. Each and every one of us, we know how important this issue is for you, for our children and for our community.”

Bloom, the only parent on the dais with school-age children, thanked the crowd for passing measure S, promised to tackle the “tough situation” and comically added, “I hope not all of you put in chits [to speak] tonight.”

Holding up a pink ribbon in one hand, Councilman McKeown said, “I brought the pink ribbon I wore in the pink slip parade a couple of months ago. I brought this ribbon because I hope I get to throw it away tonight,” he said, sending cheers rippling through the crowd.

Referring to the children screaming, rolling on the grass, and sitting atop their parent’s shoulders, Councilman Genser said, “What I see around us is the future, and I can’t think of any better reason for being in government than to work for a better future.”

After the rally, as the crowd began heading home, two members of that future, both girls, reflected on their educational experience. “This was my first official rally,” one said to other.