By Robin Janotta
News Editor
and Danny Kelleher
Sports Editor
Because of California’s impending budget cuts, the Hermosa Beach City School District is anticipating economic difficulties and is considering alternative ways to remain financially stable, including fundraising and merging with other districts.
Although the consequences are unclear, some parents and members of the community believe that HBCSD will not be able to remain financially independent as a district in the near future. Since Hermosa is small, it will be affected by these cuts much more.
“What we are hearing from the state is not positive, but it will be affecting every school in California,” HBCSD Superintendent Dr. Bruce Newlin said. “We are trying to ensure that we can maintain our kids’ quality education.”
The HBCSD board formed a Strategic Planning Committee to address other district issues in mid-October of last year. It was created to direct technology use and the district but changed its focus after budget problems arose. It is currently considering options to keep the district afloat.
“The California financial crisis caused us to have talks about the future,” Newlin said. “We wanted to be proactive and in front of the discussion. Basically, we want to know our options before the axe falls.”
One solution to the problem that has been frequently discussed is merging HBCSD’s K-8 district with either the Redondo Beach Unified School District or Manhattan Beach Unified School District, both of which are K-12 districts.
“I already consider HBCSD to be a part of us,” MBUSD superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews said. “We are united at the hip with our nine through 12 education, and we want what’s best for [the students].”
In the past, HBCSD students have had the freedom to choose whether they go to Mira Costa High School or Redondo Union High School after graduating eighth grade. It is unclear what will happen to that privilege if HBCSD joins RBUSD or MBUSD. According to Matthews, 90 to 95 percent of them already make the decision to come to Costa.
“If they think that joining Manhattan Beach is the best thing for them, we’ll look into that,” Matthews said. “But we very interested in helping their process.”
However, other alternatives (besides merging) are also being considered. According to Newlin, the district is strongly looking into additional ways to raise funds, including local parcel taxes and fundraising in close association with corporations.
With many different options to consider, no definitive solution has been made. In the community, some prefer that the district merge, but others want to maintain the independence of their schools and look for other means to address the budget crisis.
“I believe we will find a way to keep our schools open and performing at the high levels we currently enjoy,” HBCSD board member Ray Waters said. “When the community understands our needs I believe it will find a way to solve the problem.”
What is going to happen to HBCSD is not completely understood at the moment. The committee has not weighted the consequences of each idea, but has strong hopes for the future.
“What we’re trying to do is come to grips with the unknown,” Newlin said. “This is honestly one of the first times that people are really noticing the current state of our district. The California financial crisis caused us to have talks about the future. We wanted to be proactive and in front of the discussion. Basically, we want to know our options before the axe falls.”
One of the proposed solutions to the problem is merging HBCSD’s K-8 district with either the Redondo Beach Unified School District or the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. Both of the latter districts are K-12.
“I already consider HBCSD to be a part of us,” MBUSD Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews said. “We are united at the hip with our nine through 12 education, and we want what’s best for [the students].”
In the past, HBCSD students have had the freedom to choose whether they go to Mira Costa High School or Redondo Union High School after graduating eighth grade. It is unclear what will happen to that privilege if HBCSD joins RBUSD or MBUSD. According to Matthews, 90 to 95 percent of these students already make the decision to come to Costa.
“If they think that joining Manhattan Beach is the best for them, we’ll look into that,” Matthews said. “But we are interested in helping the process.”
Both the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation and the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation collect large amounts of private donations for their respective districts each year to support various causes. One question that has emerged about the theoretical consolidation of the districts is what would happen to these two individual organizations.
“We would hope that if the school districts combined that they [HBEF donors] would continue to be generous donors and support the combined district,” MBEF President Erika White said.
According to White, MBEF and HBEF differ in that in the past HBEF has allowed directed donations, in which donors choose what program their donation benefits, while MBEF use surveys to guide patronage. However, other alternatives (besides merging) are also under very close consideration.
According to Newlin, the district is looking into additional ways to raise funds, including the implementation of a local parcel taxes or fundraising in association with buisnesses. With many different options to consider, no definitive solution has been finalized. Some community members prefer that the district merge, while others want to maintain the independence of their schools and look for other means to address the crisis.
“I believe we will find a way to keep our schools open and performing at the high levels we currently enjoy,” HBCSD board member Ray Waters said. “When the community understands our needs I believe it will find a way to solve the problem.”
The future of the HBCSD remains uncertain at the moment. The committee has not weighed the consequences of each idea from the community but nontheless remains optimistic for the future.
“What we are really trying to do is come to grips with the unknown,” Newlin said. “This is honestly one of the first times that people are really noticing the current state of our district.”
Hope it merges with Manhattan