by Mark McDermott
Tyler Morant saw something he’d never seen before shortly after arriving in Manhattan Beach 14 years ago. As he works on behalf of the Yes on MB campaign, that image often comes to mind. It was a large group of kids, accompanied by a few parents, walking to Grandview Elementary School together in what is known as a “walking school bus.”
Morant had always felt blessed in the places he’d lived, including Colorado ski towns that were both beautiful and retained a sense of community. But something about the walking school bus really moved him. It showed a community working together to raise children.
“The first thing I realized, really quickly, was I wanted to raise kids here,” Morant said. “I wasn’t even engaged yet. But I saw that walking school bus at Grandview and I knew this was something special.”
It’s not such a short distance between that walking school bus and Morant’s role as the co-chair of the Yes on MB campaign, which seeks to renew the $225 parcel tax approved by voters in 2018. Morant is now married and has kids of his own, and the campaign to renew the parcel tax is likewise about a community doing its best to give its kids the best educational experience possible.
“One theme in our campaign that has really resonated is that this whole community has rallied around schools for over 40 years,” said Nathalie Rosen, the Yes on MB co-chair. “And this is just another step in that same tradition.”
The renewal of Measure MB, which is on the March 5 ballot, would continue to provide $2.5 million annually for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District for the next six years. It requires two-thirds voter approval. The timing of parcel tax extension could scarcely be more crucial.
Much uncertainty surrounds the state of California’s budget process, which must address a $38 billion deficit and won’t be completed until June. But the implications for MBUSD are more certain. A decline in education funding will occur, both due the budget cycle and decreases in enrollment that have impacted all school districts since the pandemic hit. The board of education authorized employee layoffs on Wednesday night — as many as 42 classified employees, and 32 certified employees, or teachers.
How many layoffs ultimately occur, however, will be determined by the results of the Measure MB election. If Measure MB passes, at least 20 positions will be saved, the bulk of which will be teachers. It will give MBUSD the best chance to protect that educational quality the community has cherished for so long. Walking school buses are not on the ballot, but some of the factors that make them possible are at stake.
“There’s no other place in the LA area that I think is safe for kids to walk and ride their bikes and have as much freedom to move around as they do in Manhattan Beach. And I really believe that stems from the schools being good,” she said. “That would change drastically if people didn’t feel comfortable sending their kids to the local schools.”
“This is locally controlled funding that can’t be taken away. We control our destiny with these funds,” Morant said. “We ensure that we retain teachers, and that we attract teachers. And knowing that we have community support for keeping good schools — that’s what voting yes says.”
MBUSD’s funding challenges have been well-documented. Because of a state funding formula that prioritizes schools that have higher counts of students eligible for free or reduced lunches and English language learners — metrics indicative of less affluent areas — Manhattan Beach receives less funding per pupil than nearly every other district in California. The Manhattan Beach Education Foundation has worked relentlessly to fill this gap, but has plateaued at about $6 million per year, and even that money — by state law — cannot be included in MBUSD longer-term budget projections because of its inherent variability.
Rosen said that while out campaigning, it often shocks residents to learn to MBUSD’s financial precariousness.
“I think there is in some ways an unawareness of the fact that because we are so affluent we get the least amount of funding,” she said. “And so we do need the extra help. This funding is very powerful because it’s locally controlled and can’t be taken away by Sacramento. It really has an immediate, positive impact on our kids’ education, in the form of more teachers, smaller class sizes, and really strong academic programs. Our schools are really good and we need to maintain that excellence. That is the goal of passing Measure MB.”
“The current funding formula will never be in our favor in our community,” Morant said. “We will always be behind the ball from revenue sources from the State. And no matter what, expenses are increasing. We don’t have control, necessarily, over those market factors. But we do have control of some things. By enacting parcel taxes like Measure MB, it’s a small step, but it’s progress. Baby steps are still steps in the right direction.”
Measure MB retains many of the features that made it popular six years ago when it was first approved by voters. It will again have built in oversight mechanisms, and homeowners 65 and over can apply for exemption from the tax. Those who already applied will remain exempt.
“It’s been actually kind of touching,” Rosen said. “In some situations where we mentioned to seniors, ‘Hey, you qualify for an exemption,’ or, ‘By the way, your exemption automatically renews if this passes,’ some of them have said, ‘You know what, I want to opt out. I think $225 is a reasonable amount of money to contribute back and the schools did so many amazing things for my kids, they now have amazing careers and this is our way of paying it forward.’”
MBUSD schools are famously high achieving. Alumni include actors, artists, Olympians, writers, brigadier generals, CEOs, and technological innovators. The district performs higher academically than all but a handful of others in California while also excelling in arts and athletics.
Measure MB, Rosen said, is about honoring both the tradition and the future of MBUSD.
“I was reading about two Mira Costa freshmen who invented a new eco-Styrofoam packing material, which is just so incredible and inspiring to me. My son is in the Model UN program and it’s absolutely world renowned and fantastic. I really just hope parents don’t take these things for granted. This is not being paid for by the State. The reason we have these things is because of MBEF, and because of Measure MB. If we want to keep up the quality we’re so proud of, then we’re going to have to renew Measure MB.”
“Grandparents and parents alike, right? It takes a village,” Morant said. “We are asking for their help.”
Ballot boxes are open at the MB Library and the MB Art Center. Vote centers are open at the Hermosa Beach Community Center and Dockweiler Youth Center. Vote centers at Manhattan Heights and the Joslyn Center open March 2. ER
