Proposed Malibu Unified School District

On April 17, 2021, the County Committee held an initial preliminary hearing on the City of Malibu’s Petition. That event was attended by more than 300 people. The County Committee heard testimony from the City of Malibu, the Santa Monica-Malibu USD, and both proponents and opponents of the petition. The City also submitted a preliminary feasibility report to the County Committee prior to the hearing.

On September 18, 2021, the County Committee held a second preliminary hearing and voted 8-2 to approve moving the Petition into their regular review process.

After the preliminary public hearing, the City of Malibu and SM-MUSD agreed to pursue formal mediation to reach a mutual solution.

In February 2022, the City and SM-MUSD began confidential mediation with a neutral mediator to develop joint agreements for school separation. The City and the District agreed to two guiding principles for mediation:

1. Formation of an independent Malibu Unified School District is in the best interest of all students.
2. Each successor educational entity to be allocated a sufficient share of funding to provide a similar level of service at each school site as prior to separation.

The Petition was again put on hold while mediation was underway. In October 2022, the City of Malibu and SM-MUSD publicly released a joint “Term Sheet” that the parties had agreed to during mediation. That Term Sheet included several key guidelines that would form the basis for future separation agreements.

The Petition remained on hold while the City of Malibu and SM-MUSD continued mediation throughout 2023.

In 2024, the City of Malibu and SM-MUSD released a joint proposal regarding school separation, including three draft separation agreements, for public review. Both the City and the District asked the County Committee to schedule hearings to move forward with a joint separation proposal and anticipated that the agreements would be ratified by the end of the year.

The County Committee agreed to schedule public hearings in November. Unfortunately, SM-MUSD failed to vote on the separation agreements, citing the need for additional review with its community stakeholders. Two public hearings were scheduled, the first in Santa Monica on November 8, 2024, and the second in Malibu on November 13, 2024.

At the County Committee’s regular meeting on November 6, 2024, the City of Malibu informed the County Committee that it would proceed unilaterally in its request for school separation, and explained the timeline of delays up to that point. SM-MUSD also briefly addressed the County Committee and requested the Committee provide additional time to complete its consideration of the draft agreements.

Due to the fact that a resolution had not been reached, the City pursued its petition alone. In November 2024, the City of Malibu presented its final feasibility report to the County Committee which included a generous financial package to provide the Santa Monica Unified School District with over $100 million over the next two decades. These terms were offered unilaterally since the City and the District had not been able to finalize joint agreements.

A third public hearing was scheduled at the County Committee’s request. The third and final public hearing was held in Santa Monica on March 17, 2025.

• 2/26/2018 - Council directed the City Manager to send a letter to LACOE stating the City wishes to proceed with the LACOE process to separate from the SM-MUSD and form a new MUSD
• 2/26/2018 - Authorized a Professional Services Agreement with Pintoresco Advisors, LLC for school unification consultant services
• 4/9/2018 - City Council:

1. Directed staff to send a letter to LACOE requesting formal acceptance of the City’s petition for the unification of a MUSD and, once accepted, temporarily suspend further actions pending the outcome of negotiation efforts with SM-MUSD; 
2. Designated the City Manager and City Attorney to pursue negotiations with SM-MUSD under the guidance of the School District Separation Ad Hoc Committee; and 
3. Accepted, in principle, the framework for school district separation recommended by the SM-MUSD Board of Education at its March 20, 2018 meeting

• 5/26/2019 - City Council adopted its Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Work Plan establishing school district separation as the City’s third priority after public safety and Woolsey Fire rebuilds
• 9/23/2019 - City Council directed the School District Separation Ad Hoc Committee, City Manager, and City Attorney to:

1. Develop a plan to pursue SM-MUSD separation with LACOE
2. Consider any other options to facilitate separation; and 
3. Continue considering negotiations with SM-MUSD

• 3/9/2020 - Following an update from the School District Separation Ad Hoc Committee, the City Council endorsed legislation that provides for the continuation of the Measure R parcel tax after separation of SM-MUSD. 
• 7/13/2020 - City Council authorized Amendment No. 1 to the Professional Services Agreement with STLR Corp, dba Ryland School Business Consulting 
• 8/10/2020 - City Council authorized the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 2 to the Professional Services Agreement with Kirk-Carter and Associates (Supplemental report)
• 10/12/2020 - City Council voted unanimously to reinstate the City’s petition for unification of a MUSD to the LACOE Committee on School District Organization. The petition had been put on hold pending negotiations with SMMUSD. 
• 10/12/2020 - School District Separation Ad Hoc Committee (Councilmembers Farrer and Mullen) and the City’s financial consultants presented an update on the status of the negotiations at the City Council meeting. (Meeting video)
• 10/28/2020 - City hosted a virtual town hall on School District Separation with presentations from the School District Separation Ad Hoc Committee and the City's consultant team who also answered questions from the public. (Town hall video)
• 10/28/2020 - City received a letter from SM-MUSD Superintendent Ben Drati in response to the City's decision to proceed with its petition to LACOE.
• 11/2/2020 - City Manager sends letter to Dr. Drati in response to his letter of 10/28/2020

• 2011 - Formation of the Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS)
• 2013 - Commissioned the West Ed. Study
• 2013 - Collection of thousands of signatures submitted to the Malibu City Council in support of a new MUSD
• September 16, 2015 - City Council adopts Resolution No. 15-60 , authorizing transmission of the petition for unification of a MUSD to the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools