Malibu moves one step closer to creating its own school district

Malibu votes on splitting from Santa Monica-Malibu school district

Malibu city leaders voted to approve a plan to split from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

LOS ANGELES - Malibu could soon be getting its own school district. 

On December 2, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education unanimously approved a separation package, moving one step closer to creating an independent Malibu Unified school District. 

On December 8, the Malibu City Council voted to approve the same separation package. 

The full separation package highlights three agreements:

• Property Tax Revenue Sharing Agreement – Establishes how property tax revenues will be allocated between the two future districts.
• Operational Transfer Agreement – Outlines the transition of staffing, facilities, programs, and services from SMMUSD to the new districts.
• Joint Powers Agreement – Creates a shared governance structure to oversee and coordinate the transition process.

"This is just the first step in this next phase. After this, we need to seek special legislation hand in hand with the district, and then we need to seek some additional approvals at the state and county level," said deputy city attorney Christine Wood. 

The final vote needs approval from the state and county. 

What they're saying:

Board members emphasized that approving the separation package would benefit students in both communities by allowing each district to focus on its distinct needs, priorities, and long-term planning.

Residents say they favor the plan because Malibu has its own identity and that's a big part of rebuilding the coastal city. 

"The petition to separate was filed in 2017, so it's been a long time coming. A community has a culture of its own, and Malibu has a very, very distinct culture. Malibu and Santa Monica, our population centers, are separated by 22 miles. And we're a very sparsely populated rural community. Santa Monica is an urban community. So right there, there's an extreme difference in culture, difference in distance. And Malibu over time, wanted to have representation," said parent Wade Major.

If all approvals are given, the deputy city attorney estimates the split wouldn't officially happen until 2029.