AMPS Hosts Booth at Chili Cook-Off
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September 11, 2014 Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS) hosted a booth for the third year in a row on Friday at the Kiwanis Chili Cook-Off. AMPS is a grassroots nonprofit group of Malibu parents and residents seeking to form an independent Malibu school district.
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School board asks committee to guide separation
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July 31, 2014 SMMUSD HDQRTRS – The more the Board of Education knows about unification, the more they don’t know, but the idea is becoming closer to a potential reality. |
Open Letter to Superintendent Lyon
An Open Letter to Superintendent Lyon
Dear Superintendent Lyon,
“Baby girl.”
My daughter turns 11 today and my wife wrote in her memory book, “You have been my eternal sunshine, my darling baby girl.” Everybody who has been or will be exposed to PCBs on the Malibu High School and/or Juan Cabrillo Elementary School campuses is somebody’s baby girl or baby boy. That is why we cannot simply accept the district’s assurances that both campuses are safe.
I do not doubt that Superintendent Lyon, the school board, and their advisors are making their best faith efforts to assure that our children are safe. I do not doubt that they truly believe our children will be safe under their plan. But that is not good enough. Nobody should ask a parent to send their children into a situation of potential harm unless that parent believes the child will be safe. We understand that on something as simple as field trips. Why is it so hard to extend that same understanding to the schools themselves?
And this is what we at AMPS and, I believe, the vast majority of Malibu’s parents are asking of the district: include us in this conversation. You need to come to Malibu and hold open, public, town hall meetings, starting in the next week or two. Get a moderator if you think that helps. But stand in front of the parents, tell them of your plan and your thinking. Listen to their questions and concerns. See where you need to change your views. See where you can persuade parents of the logic of your position.
Our community is in agony now. You are asking something that we cannot do. You are asking that we trust you to decide how much is enough when it comes to frightening contamination. We need more. We need to talk to you, to hear your logic, to question your assumptions. We need you to hear us. We need you to work collaboratively with us to find a solution that meets the needs of our community.
It is not ok that so many people have been thrown into such worry. Please honor this request. Please meet with the community, all members of the community who choose to attend. Please stand in a public forum and present your research and your plan. Earn our confidence. Be good stewards of our trust. Do it soon and until the conversation is complete.
Thank you for your understanding.
Craig Foster
President, Advocates for Malibu Public Schools Foundation
[email protected]
www.ampsmalibu.org
Malibu Education Activist Announces Board of Ed Bid
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July 9, 2014 Local education activist Craig Foster announced this week he plans to enter this year’s Board of Education race in an attempt to get Malibu a seat back at the table — six years after Malibu last had a representative on the governing body of the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) and two years after Foster lost his first attempt. Foster is the president of Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS) and has spent several years working to form a separate Malibu school district. “I really do think and hope that there’s not only an acceptance, but a certain amount of desire by a lot of people in Santa Monica to hear Malibu’s voice and include Malibu’s voice and vision more directly,” said Foster. “I hope by election day, people are comfortable that I’ll be that person.” |
Malibu 'at tipping point' for own school district
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June 3, 2014 If Craig Foster’s assessment is correct, then supporters of Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS) are “at the tipping point” of peeling Malibu’s public schools away from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Speaking at an AMPS meeting on Wednesday, May 28, Foster, the group’s president, said AMPS is on the verge of entering its second phase of separation from SMMUSD – the fifth attempt in 30 years.
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Letter: Getting Closer to a School District
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June 4, 2014 There was a lot of excitement at the Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS) Town Hall meeting on May 28. An independent Malibu school district with local control is within our reach. Furthermore, a possible new path has been discovered, which could shorten the process considerably, and net out an independent school district by the ‘16/’17 school year. That’s two years away. |
Malibu Activist to run for Board of Education
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July 14, 2014 MALIBU — Local education activist Craig Foster announced this week he plans to enter this year’s Board of Education race in an attempt to get Malibu a seat back at the table — six years after Malibu last had a representative on the governing body of the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) and two years after Foster lost his first attempt. |
Malibu Chronicle: Interview with Craig Foster President of AMPS
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April/May 2014 Craig Foster is President of Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS), which has been established to lead the creation of an independent public school District in Malibu. Malibu Chronicle asked Craig to update our readers: |
Letter to the Editor: Money for Malibu School District
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May 29, 2014 In last week’s “From the Publisher: Our council, our friends,” there are two huge factual misunderstandings on the subject of an independent Malibu school district. |
Malibu Chronicle: Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS)
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February/March 2014 Malibu parents are taking charge of their kids’ education through the organization Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS). “We are a collection of Malibu residents who have launched AMPS as volunteers taking responsibility for mobilizing the community to significantly improve the education of Malibu kids,” states John D. Miller, vice chancellor of Pepperdine University. |