The Santa Monica-Malibu PTA Council is the organizing body of all PTAs within SMMUSD. PTA Council is part of the regional California PTA 33rd District, and the California State PTA (CAPTA) governs all PTA organizations in the state. As part of a 100+ year child advocacy organization, PTA Council can and will ordinarily take a position on any issue affecting children or families attending SMMUSD schools. Measure ES proposes to deliver funding to SMMUSD, to replace funding the City has historically given to the District but may no longer be able to do so. Because of the potential loss of funding, and the proposed solution to replace that funding, PTA Council decided to study Measure ES.

PTA is an established advocacy organization whose mission is to "positively impact the lives of all children and families." Among its many position statements and resolutions, those supporting stable school funding are among the strongest and most frequent. Because Measure ES directly proposes sustainable funding for SMMUSD, studying and taking a position on it falls well within the PTA Council's historic scope of examining issues that affect education for our students.

To take a position on pending or proposed public policy, PTAs must conduct a study. The PTA study process is not a public policy analysis, per se. It is a thorough, impartial and unbiased examination of issues, conducted by a study committee composed of PTA advocates and other community members. The study committee must gather all available information on the topic. To come to a support position, the study process must conclude that the proposed action or legislation is consistent with PTA’s purposes and mission; that it is likely to achieve its desired results; that it is consistent with previous CAPTA position statements, resolutions, and legislation planks; that it benefits children and youth; and that its beneficial impacts, prioritized by PTA purposes, outweigh any disadvantages or drawbacks.