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June 9 – City Council Budget Study session for FY 2020-21 – Agenda: www.smgov.net/council
The Santa Monica-Malibu PTA Council recently wrote a letter to the Santa Monica City Council advocating for restoration in the FY 2020-21 budget of:
- Crossing Guards at all Santa Monica schools
- CREST’s Playground Access program (safe, weekday, recreational, after-school play for elementary students at each of the elementary school sites)
- CREST Sports program (fresh air, teamwork, skill-building, exercise)
These are low-cost, high-impact programs.
- Every child in our district benefits from the safety provided by the Crossing Guards.
- 1,835 elementary school students were enrolled in this year in Playground Access.
- 1,182 elementary students and 433 middle schoolers participated in CREST Sports.
CREST Sports and Playground Access enhance participants’ well-being through exercise and community building, and provide needed after school childcare and pick-up flexibility for working parents.
If you would like City program funding to continue, we strongly encourage you to send an email no later than Wednesday, June 3rd, to our City Council and City Staff (see below) to show your support for any or all of these programs, and to ask the City to preserve them.
Without tremendous support from the families that enjoy and depend upon them, these programs will not be continued. Additional background and contact information below….
FOR YOUR LETTERS:
Subject line: City Council 6/9/20 meeting – FY 2020-21 Budget
Include this at the end:
“City Clerk – Please include this letter in the Public Record for the FY 2020-21 Budget Agenda Item at the City Council meeting of June 9, 2020.”
Send your emails by June 3rd to:
councilmtgitems@smgov.net, kevin.mckeown@smgov.net, ted.winterer@smgov.net, sue.himmelrich@smgov.net, gleam.davis@smgov.net, terry.oday@smgov.net, greg.morena@smgov.net, anamaria.jara@smgov.net, lane.dilg@smgov.net, cynthia.reynaud@smgov.net, karen.ginsberg@smgov.net, andy.agle@smgov.net, george.cardona@smgov.net, gigi.decavalles-hughes@smgov.net,
MORE INFO:
CROSSING GUARDS – Protecting children at/near every school in 2019-2020 and for many years prior. In addition to sending emails asking to save the Crossing Guards program, please sign the following change.org petition. With 1,600+ signatures so far, it was started by Zina Josephs, president of Friends of Sunset Park and long-time school district parent and supporter. Questions? Please contact Zina at zinajosephs@aol.com
Sign the petition at http://chng.it/sQsLfHJ4Gw
PLAYGROUND ACCESS – Provides safe, recreational play time after school every weekday. CREST Playground Access students, in grades 1-5 engage in supervised, unstructured play in designated areas of the playground after school with basic playground equipment available for checkout. 1,835 children participated in 2019-2020; the Playground Access program has been in existence for 20 years. It also provides working families with after school child-care and flexibility on school pick-up. (Currently, Playground Access is free, but perhaps the City Council might consider a nominal fee, with scholarships for children who qualify for the Free/Reduced Lunch program.)
CREST SPORTS – CREST Sports is a recreation program where everyone participates, regardless of ability. This program gives young athletes the opportunity to compete and learn about the skills and rules of each sport. 1,182 elementary school children and 433 middle schoolers participated in 2019-2020. CREST Sports is a unique opportunity for elementary and middle schoolers to learn to play sports alongside their friends at their home schools. It also provides working families with after school child-care and flexibility on school pick-up.
Questions about Playground Access or CREST Sports? Please contact Ann Hoover (former Franklin Elementary School PTA Co-President and current Co-Chair of Samohi PTSA’s Civic Center Task Force) at annkbowman@yahoo.com
