Teachers & Staff: Empowering Educators in Malibu

A new district means a new level of support and new opportunities.

As a teacher or staff member, you dedicate your life to educating our children. In an independent Malibu Unified School District, your dedication will be rewarded with a school system that’s more responsive, more supportive, and more innovative – because it’s built around the needs of Malibu’s schools, not a sprawling K-12 bureaucracy spread over two non-contiguous cities.

Here’s how Malibu’s separation will benefit educators and staff:
- Local Decision Making Equals Quicker Solutions: No more waiting for Santa Monica to approve every initiative or facility repair. Malibu’s own district leadership can address campus needs in real time. Whether it’s adopting a new teaching tool, fixing a leak at Malibu High, or hiring an extra aide at Malibu Elementary, decisions can be made on the spot, here in Malibu
 

 - Professional Growth and Leadership: A smaller district means more opportunities for Malibu teachers to take on leadership roles. District-level curriculum committees, professional development planning, mentorship programs – these will be led by our local educators. No longer will Malibu’s teachers be one small voice in a large district; you’ll be the heart of our new district. We anticipate creating teacher-led panels to shape everything from our STEM curriculum to arts and music offerings specific to Malibu.
 

 - Maintained or Improved Compensation and Benefits: One of the guiding principles of the separation plan is that no employee will be worse off because of the reorganization. Malibu’s revenue-sharing plan with Santa Monica ensures both districts remain financially healthy (source) Both resulting districts are projected to be “basic aid” (community-funded) districts, meaning solid funding from property taxes.

Malibu values its teachers and staff – we want to attract and retain excellent educators. With local control, we can craft compensation packages and benefits that are competitive and maybe even more tailored (for example, exploring housing assistance or incentives for Malibu-based staff).
 

- Preserving Jobs: Both districts have agreed that no layoffs will result from the split. All current SMMUSD employees will have a place in either Santa Monica’s district or Malibu’s – and many will get to express their preference. If you currently work at a Malibu school, you will likely transition to the new Malibu USD seamlessly. Santa Monica’s superintendent explicitly noted that in the separation agreements under discussion, employees “will continue to provide the same level of service at each school site as before separation” (Source).

In other words, our schools will open Day 1 of Malibu USD with the same teachers, counselors, bus drivers, and staff – just under new management that’s closer to home.
 

 - Innovation in Education: Malibu’s community has a spirit of innovation, and that will extend to our new district. Teachers will have greater freedom to pilot programs without needing approval from a distant central office.

Want to implement a marine biology field research project? Launch a new AP elective with Pepperdine’s collaboration? In a Malibu-run district, those ideas can become reality faster.

Malibu’s Board of Education will be just down the street, ready to listen to educators.

 

 It’s important to highlight that Santa Monica’s educators will also benefit from this reorganization. How? Santa Monica teachers and staff will have their own district focused solely on their needs, with a steady revenue stream protected by the Malibu-Santa Monica agreement. No more internal tension over whether funds go to Malibu or Santa Monica schools – each district will plan independently. This could actually ease labor negotiations and improve labor relations in both districts, as budgets will be clearer and priorities more localized.

In summary, Malibu’s separation isn’t about “breaking up” a family – it’s about expanding that family into two supportive households. Malibu’s household will cherish its teachers and staff, offering them a close-knit professional community and a direct say in shaping Malibu’s educational future. We invite all SMMUSD employees to learn more and ask questions.