Committee to Study Plan for Malibu High School

By 1991, Malibu students may no longer have to travel to Santa Monica to go to high school.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board decided this week to establish a committee to review the idea of adding high school classes at Malibu Park School, which now teaches children in kindergarten through eighth grade.

The high school would be located in the spacious middle school section of the campus, which has 270 students in grades six though eight but can hold up to 1,200, said Principal Bill Bonozo.

The high school, which would open in September, 1991, may be a magnet school with a particular academic focus, said district spokeswoman Paula Freimund.

The 350 Malibu students who travel about 25 miles to Santa Monica High School are delayed by increasing congestion on Pacific Coast Highway and run the risk of traffic accidents, district officials said. “That’s a long time they spend on the bus. They have to set their schedule according to the bus. . . . The distance is getting to be a real problem for some people,” Bonozo said.

The district is also considering developing programs at the high school that would attract minority students living in Santa Monica, Freimund said. “The board does not want to create a racially isolated school,” she said.

The high school would increase offerings for the middle school, which does not have French classes or chorus, Bonozo said.

The middle school campus has an outdoor pool, a tennis course, a baseball diamond and an athletic field, he said.

The school board is looking for up to 25 people for the study committee. Applications are available at the district offices, 1651 16th St., Santa Monica, 450-8338, and at Malibu Park School, 30215 Morning View Drive. The deadline is Dec. 21. Members will be chosen by the board in January.