By Jonathan Friedman
Lookout Staff

April 7, 2010 -- The 1,200 Los Angeles Unified School District residents attending Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District schools can breathe a sigh of relief. They do not have to worry about losing their interdistrict permits.

LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines announced Tuesday he was withdrawing his controversial interdistrict permit prohibition, at least for now.
"For existing permits, the majority of those will be approved," Cortines told the Board of Education and the large crowd attending the meeting. "I am not knowingly going to harm the education of boys and girls and young people, and distress the adults in their life."

Cortines had created a policy to deny up to 80 percent of the 12,000 interdistrict permits annually issued to LAUSD residents in an effort to bring in much-needed cash to the District, which is facing a $640 million deficit. State funding is based on daily attendance, and the LAUSD estimated the new policy would generate $51 million.

But officials from Districts throughout the County, including the SMMUSD, blasted the policy. They looked for methods to amend it. SMMUSD Superintendent Tim Cuneo was expected to submit a proposal to keep current LAUSD students in the SMMUSD, and have the policy only affect future students.

March, 19, 2010 SMMUSD Tries to Keep LAUSD Residents in District

SMMUSD Board of Education member Oscar de la Torre applauded Cortines’ decision, calling it “great news.”

“We should celebrate the good act from the LAUSD because the superintendent was right on with his assessment of the impact,” de la Torre said.

De la Torre said the SMMUSD should not relax too long because the policy will be coming back. Cortines said he would do more research, including talking to other Districts as well as families of permitted students, and likely bring the issue up again next school year.

“I’m expecting the next time this comes back, there will be a more well-thought out proposal,” de la Torre said. “But in the end, there will be less people in our District on LAUSD permits.”

De la Torre said he can appreciate why the LAUSD wants its area students back because “We are in unprecedented times. This is the worst fiscal crisis that I have seen since I was on the Board.”

“I understand what the LAUSD is trying to do in bringing some of that revenue back,” de la Torre said. “But the students represent more than dollar signs. It’s important not to forget what impact this will have on the students in our District.”

A large number of parents, students and other education advocates came to Tuesday’s meeting because the Board was expected to vote on a proposal from two members to amend

Cortines’ policy so that high school students would be able to finish their education at their schools. That proposal was withdrawn after Cortines made his announcement.

De la Torre said SMMUSD parent involvement, including from those who did not even have students on permits, helped pressure Cortines to back down.

“It just goes to show we are one unified school district whether on permits or not,” de la Torre said. “We are going to do what we can to make it better for the next generation.”