By Jorge Casuso
December 11, 2025 -- In what is being touted as a "historic" vote that marks a "major milestone," the Malibu City Council Monday unanimously approved a "separation package" that paves the way to creating an independent Malibu School District.
The vote comes one week after the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board unanimously approved the same key agreements and 14 years after the Malibu Council took initial steps to split from he District.
It marks the "first time both governing bodies have formally endorsed all three foundational agreements required to move forward," Malibu officials said Wednesday.
The separation package establishes how property tax revenues will be allocated; details the transition of staff, facilities, programs and services to the two new districts, and forms a shared governance structure for the separation process.
Monday's vote brings Malibu "significantly closer to achieving its long-sought goal of local control over its public schools while ensuring a stable, equitable future for students in both communities," City officials said.
“Tonight’s unanimous vote reflects Malibu’s unwavering commitment to building our own independent, locally controlled school district," Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins said in a statement.
The new Malibu District will be "responsive, community-driven, and positioned to deliver the highest-quality education for our children for generations to come,” Riggins said.
“The City Council and the SMMUSD Board are hand in hand on moving forward to the next phase."
“This is a major milestone that Malibu families have been championing for more than 20 years,” said Wade Major, president of Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS).
District separation has long been an issue in Malibu. It came to a head in 2004 when the School District revised its gift policy to require that 15 percent of private donations be contributed to a districtwide fund restricting parents from donating to specific schools.
In November 2011, the Malibu City Council voted to set the gears in motion to secede from the District, and in September 2015 passed a resolution favoring separation.
The idea received a major boost three months later, when the five Santa Monica residents on the seven-member School Board publicly supported the move.
Over the next decade, the two parties have traveled a long and bumpy road toward separation, with negotiations starting only to stall and restart again as both sides failed to agree on the key terms.
“With unanimous approval from both governing bodies," Major said, "the path is now clear for the City and the School District to jointly pursue the special state legislation required to authorize the creation of two new school districts.
"This partnership marks the beginning of the final chapter in making independent districts a reality,” Major said.