EDUCATION: MBUSD adds two integrated ethnic studies courses
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Education is preparing to offer two new courses for the 2025-26 school year that would each meet the state of California’s legally mandated ethnic studies requirements. A yearlong course, titled “U.S. History: Diversity and Cultural Studies,” would expand on a pilot course offered this […]
EDUCATION: Jen Dohner will join MBUSD school board
by Mark McDermott When Jen Dohner made the decision to run for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District’s Board of Education, she braced for a tough campaign. Two years ago, the school board race was contentious, with six candidates running for three seats. But a funny thing happened on the way to Election Day. Two […]
EDUCATION: Manhattan Beach Unified School District launches new e-bike safety program
by Hibah Samad The Manhattan Beach Unified School District last week launched a new e-bike safety initiative aimed at ensuring students’ safe commutes on the road. Student e-bikes parked at Manhattan Beach Middle School and Mira Costa High School must have a new addition to their bikes — a District-certified sticker, signifying their completion of […]
ELECTION 2024: MBUSD addresses infrastructure needs with Measure RLS
by Mark McDermott When the Manhattan Beach Unified School district last proposed school bonds, nearly a decade ago, the pitch was easily digestible, because Measures C and EE included funding for gleaming new athletic facilities at Mira Costa High School and a sparkling new music room at the middle school. The pitch for Measure RLS […]
EDUCATION: MBUSD will seek $200 million school bond in November election
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously last week to place a $200 million school bond measure on the November election ballot. The proposed school bond is intended to address the more than $400 million in needed upgrades identified in the recently completed Facilities Master Plan. The tax […]
EDUCATION: Mira Costa Principal Karina Gerger departs MBUSD
by Mark McDermott Twenty years ago, when Karina Gerger applied for a job within the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, she had the distinct feeling this wasn’t going to happen. She arrived at district headquarters with her resume, hopeful, but left without talking to a person. “I put my application in a basket, with no […]
EDUCATION: MBUSD rescinds 20 teacher layoffs in final adopted budget
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Education adopted its 2023-2025 budget last week amid ongoing state funding uncertainties. But due to boosts in local funding, the school board was able to reduce previously approved teacher layoffs from 32.8 full time positions to 12.2, meaning that roughly 20 pink slips will […]
INFRASTRUCTURE: MBUSD may include Begg Pool in school bond
by Mark McDermott As the Manhattan Beach Unified School District explores the potential for a new school bond to address facilities’ needs, the MBUSD Board of Education last week raised the possibility of including the redesign of Begg Pool as part of it. The nearly 70-year-old community pool, which is located adjacent to Polliwog Park […]
SCHOOL FINANCE: MBUSD will consider a $200 million school bond
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Education is exploring the possibility of placing a $200 million school bond on the November ballot. The school board, at its April 18 meeting, heard reports both from its financial and election consultants. Each tentatively recommended placing a school bond on the November ballot, […]
EDUCATION: Manhattan Beach Unified Names Teachers of the Year
by Hibah Samad Educators from each Manhattan Beach Unified School District school have been named the 2023-2024 Teachers of the Year. The eight honorees were surprised with the announcement by their principals on campus in early April. This year’s honorees are Lilla Foster, Mira Costa High School Special Education Department chair; Dana Vaccaro MBMS […]
EDUCATION MBUSD: prepares to launch Ethnic Studies at Mira Costa
by Hibah Samad The Manhattan Beach Unified School District is preparing to implement Ethnic Studies courses at Mira Costa High School. These courses will meet new state graduation requirements set forth by California Assembly Bill 101 in 2021. The bill mandates that all California high schools offer ethnic studies courses in the 2025-26 school year […]
ELECTION 2024: Measure MB will pass, saving 20 teacher jobs
by Mark McDermott Measure MB, the $225 parcel tax that generates $2.5 million for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, has been renewed. After another week of vote tallying by the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office, approval for the ballot surged well above the two-thirds threshold necessary for passage. On March 5 Election Day, Measure […]
Measure MB parcel tax renewal nears approval
by Mark McDermott Ongoing vote tallies have brought Measure MB to the brink of approval, but the margin remains so thin that its passage is still uncertain. The ballot measure, a $225 annual parcel tax that would provide $2.5 million in revenue for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, was just shy of the two-thirds […]
Letters to the Editor 3-14-24
Forecast for failure Dear ER: The Manhattan Beach Unified School District is facing an $11.3 million deficit, and is blaming reductions in State revenue for this (“Measure MB tax election too close to call,” ER March 7, 2024). The district’s first interim budget report shows total revenue at $98 million. The state is projecting a […]
EDUCATION: Why MBUSD schools are facing budget cuts and layoffs in 2024
by Hibah Samad The Manhattan Beach Unified School District anticipates reducing expenditures by nearly $11.3 million over the next two years. On January 10, Governor Gavin Newsom released his proposed budget, kicking off the state’s six-month budget process. “While there is a long way to go before MBUSD has an approved state budget for the […]
Teacher layoffs still loom within Manhattan Beach Unified after Governor’s budget is released
by Mark McDermott Governor Gavin Newsom released his proposed budget in January, and though he is attempting to spare public education from significant cuts, the Manhattan Beach Unified School District’s budget outlook did not significantly improve. The district still faces the prospect of laying off as many as 70 teachers in the next two years […]