Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s Parent-Teacher Association is recruiting volunteers to make some 20,000 phone calls directly to voters in support of Measures Y and YY on the Nov. 2 ballot.
The measures, if passed, would generate an estimated $5 million per year toward the school district’s roughly $108 million budget and help the district avoid shedding teachers and librarians, as well as scaling back arts programs. More than $20,000 has been donated to the campaign for the measures, said PTA President Shari Davis.
The funds from the measures are “desperately needed,” said Davis, who is a spearheading the effort.
“We have an organized phone bank effort at the campaign office and an online phone bank system to call from home,” Davis said. “It’s important for voters to hear directly from parents because it’s genuine.”
The measures are intended to help offset state budget cuts, which severely affect the district’s bottom line. In the most recent budget presented by state lawmakers, but not yet signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger, more than $3.6 billion is cut from K-12 education.
At the district board meeting on Oct. 7, Davis told the board the state PTA has “expressed dismay” at the cuts.
As the Mirror previously reported, district officials are in deficit spending in the current academic year and expect to be in the same position through 2012-13, when they expect a budget shortfall of $3.7 million.
The projection assumes that the $108.6 million 2012-13 budget will have an influx of $5 million from Measures Y and YY as well as $2.7 million from the Save Our School campaign and federal jobs funds. The expenditures that year are expected to be $115 million.
To sign-up to make calls from either the PTA offices or from their home, volunteers should visit YesOnYandYYSantaMonica.com or email Davis at shariceps@aol.com.
