Author: Brian M. Stecher

Publisher: RAND Corporation

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 66

ISBN-13:

This report describes important features of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SM-MUSD), providing background information as the district establishes its goals. The analysis shows that SM-MUSD's total revenues are greater than those of similar districts and Los Angeles County on a per-pupil basis but below the revenues of high-achieving districts. Santa Monica-Malibu teachers are among the best prepared in the state, and SM-MUSD allocates resources in ways that are similar to the comparison districts, such as the apportioning of administrative salaries, but the percentage of total revenue spent on teacher salaries in SM-MUSD is below the percentage spent by the high-achieving districts. Average teacher salaries in SM-MUSD are comparable to salaries in both sets of districts, while initial teacher salaries are at the top of both sets of districts. The proportion of revenues spent on counselors' salaries is near the middle of the ranges for other districts, and SM-MUSD spends more on classroom aides as a proportion of total revenues than most of the similar districts and most high-achieving districts. Overall, SM-MUSD has similar resources, uses them in similar ways, and its students perform relatively well, though they lag behind students in the highest-achieving districts in the state. (RJM)