Responses of Kathryn Morea

Signed CEPS "Excellent Public School Pledge"

1. What is the significance for our community of ensuring adequate funding for our school district, its programs, early childhood education and after school programs? Please elaborate.
   
   It is imperative that our children come first. They are our future. As a community, we can choose to neglect kids or invest in them. They can either be tempted by gangs, drugs and crime - or we can build our next generation of citizens, workers, parents and leaders. It is important that we help create that foundation in our children by ensuring our schools and after school programs are well supported.
   
   
2. What priority would you attach to ensuring adequate funding for our schools, after-school programs, and early childhood development in the city budget.
   
   Funding for schools is a huge priority. One thing that attracted me to Santa Monica when my son was little was the stellar reputation of the Santa Monica schools. Keeping schools solvent is more important now than ever. As a working mom, I understand the importance of early childhood development and after school programs. It is crucial that our schools, as well as our after school programs are engaging children and keeping them safe.
   
   
3. Are you familiar with and do you fully support the agreement negotiated for the City to provide funding to the School District?
   
   Absolutely.
   
   
4. Do you fully support providing the maximum level of funding for our schools under City-School District agreement? Under what circumstances would you not be willing to do so?
   
   Our city must be willing to provide the maximum level of funding which our schools so desperately need. This must be a top priority.
   
   
5. If the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District faced a budget crisis brought on by circumstances outside the District's control, such as by funding cuts from the State of California, would you be willing to support crisis funding to the District even beyond the City-School District funding agreement?
   
   Yes. Our children are dependent upon us, the adults, to see they are cared for. If state funding creates a crisis in our schools, then the city must respond appropriately.
   
   
6. Please provide specific examples of how you have supported the district and the education of our youth? How have you shown leadership to ensure adequate city funding for our schools? As a council member, what kind of leadership will you show to address school funding?
   
   I have dedicated myself to solving some of the problems in and around the school near my home, Santa Monica High School (SAMO). After witnessing serious traffic hazards and accidents involving SAMO students, I urged City Council to help with school related problems that I witnessed, but to no avail. I noticed that the agencies involved were not working together, creating a stalemate. I decided to bring the parties together. I brought neighbors, students, parents and others to the school board and urged the creation of a Task Force. I participated as a volunteer member, as did representatives from the school, school district, PTSA, neighborhoods, students and parents. For the next 6 months, the SAMO Task Force on Parking & Transportation met and worked diligently to resolve some of SAMO's transportation problems involving the delivery of 3,500 students to SAMO daily while preserving the health and safety of our children and the surrounding neighborhood. The recommendations were accepted by the school board several weeks ago.
   This is an example of how I brought the right people together and dedicated myself to solving problems instead of merely complaining. This is the kind of leadership I will bring to City Council.