WEEKEND EDITION
INSIDE SCOOP
COMMENTARY
JUDGE WANTS O.J.’S RING PAGE 3 AIMING AT SMOKEY THE BEAR PAGE 4
DECEMBER 13-14, 2008
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Volume 7 Issue 337
Santa Monica Daily Press WRITER MILKS SUBJECT SEE PAGE 16
Since 2001: A news odyssey
THE TIME TO PARTY ISSUE
Ed board to review hundreds of policies BY MELODY HANATANI Daily Press Staff Writer
SMMUSD HDQTRS A two-foot stack of doc-
“This is the deepest team I’ve had,” Hecht said. “Could be my most athletic team, too.” Hecht’s pressing style of play has caught on with his players. Junior guard James Montgomery doesn’t mind pressuring ball carriers because his play often forces opponents to turn the ball over, which leads to easy baskets for he and his backcourt mates. “It’s kind of a drag that the other guys get the steals,” Montgomery said, “but, once the other guys get the steals, you get the shots.” Montgomery also doesn’t mind that his team doesn’t feature a starter taller than 6-5. “Since we’re smaller, we have to be faster than other teams,” he added. Despite his size, the shooting guard likes to take the ball to the hoop as often as possible. That fighting attitude seems
uments sits in the district administration office, containing policies that govern school affairs, addressing everything from homework assignments to child abuse. The pile contains approximately 400 policies, administrative regulations and exhibits that guide the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District every day, some that have been updated in the past few months, others untouched since the 1970s. They will all get a second look as district officials spend the next several months modernizing its vast collection of rules, weeding out the irrelevant, keeping the necessary and changing the legally outdated. The policies cover everything from the district’s vision and philosophy to its technology plan, addressing issues such as uniform complaints to truancy. The Board of Education currently reviews and updates policies in a piecemeal fashion, discussing them as they come up periodically during regularly scheduled meetings where the items are usually pushed toward the end of often-packed agendas. The district plans to work with the California School Board Association (CSBA) — a collaborative that provides guidance to more than 1,000 district across the state — to update its policies. The CSBA has come up with more than 634 suggested policies and administrative regulations for its member districts to consider, according to Mike Matthews, the assistant superintendent for human resources. District staff spent three days last month reviewing all of the policies and have been working on recommendations as to which of its own regulations to update, delete, keep and which to adopt from the CSBA. Those recommendations will be sent to the CSBA, which will check to be sure they are compliant with existing law and red flags those that
SEE HOOPS PAGE 12
SEE BOARD PAGE 11
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
COMING TOGETHER: Santa Monica High School, under the direction of head coach James Hecht, is off to a 5-1 start to the season.
Samohi hoops off to fast start BY DANIEL ARCHULETA Managing Editor
SAMOHI It may be early in the season, but boys basketball coach James Hecht is already thinking postseason. His Santa Monica High School Vikings boast a 5-1 record with the only loss coming against a nationally-ranked Fairfax High School team in the championship game of the Pacific Shores Tournament last week. While wins against cross-town rival Crossroads, Reseda and Serra have helped Samohi get off to the fast start, it’s the 57-70 loss to Fairfax that has Hecht excited about the future. “I really do believe that if you want to be the best, you have to play the best,” he said. “We look forward to playing games like that. We know we can compete with teams like that.” Senior forward Kunnu Shofu, who is getting looks from major college programs, was named the Most Outstanding
Player of the Shores Tournament despite the loss. His 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks in the final against Fairfax helped cement the athletic Shofu’s status as one of the best players in the area. “My phone and my e-mail have been pretty active [regarding Shofu],” Hecht said. “This guy has real Division 1 potential.” Shofu may be looked upon to lead the way offensively, but it’s a swarming defense that Hecht believes will give his team a shot to compete late into the postseason. With a small starting lineup that includes three guards and two forwards, Hecht said that it’s his team’s foot speed that is relied upon to keep opposing teams off balance. A deep rotation gives the Vikings the energy to maintain a full-court press on both makes and misses. This frenetic style of defense helps the Vikings’ transition game that is designed to “attack” the hoop.
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