Parents Plead Case to Fight Closure of Their School : Simi Valley: Proposal to shut one of three targeted elementary campuses prompts hundreds to attend board meeting.

Armed with demographics on three elementary schools, the Simi Valley school board began the difficult task Tuesday of deciding which campus to close by next fall.

Sycamore, Mountain View and Simi elementary schools have been targeted for possible closure because of lagging enrollment. School officials expect to save about $200,000 annually by shutting one of the campuses.

But each campus has a cadre of devoted parents who do not want to lose their neighborhood school.

In a show of support for the threatened campuses, hundreds of parents crammed the board room Tuesday night to oppose the emotionally charged proposal and to hear reports by school committees on why their campus should be spared.

“I urge the board to base its decision on what is safe and best for the children of Simi Valley,” said parent Lori Randolph, speaking on behalf of a committee from Simi Elementary School.

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The committees, each composed of about 15 parents, teachers and administrators, gave 20-minute presentations to the board highlighting unique programs and addressing major areas of concern in the event of closure.

Sycamore parents pointed to the school’s program for severely disabled children, which could be threatened if the school is shut. About 30 students with severe disabilities attend Sycamore and are aided by a specially trained staff of teachers.

“To disband this well-regarded, highly trained team of educators would be a major setback,” Sycamore parent Adel Martin said. “These children have thrived in an integrated atmosphere. They have learned to trust.”

Simi Elementary houses the only program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in eastern Ventura County. The program also serves children from four other school districts.

On Tuesday, parents and teachers argued that the program has taken years to develop and would be difficult to move to another school.

“Moving the deaf and hard-of-hearing students to another school would educationally and socially isolate these children,” teacher Vickie Tomastik said.

In its 70th year, Simi Elementary is also the oldest school in Simi Valley and has been designated a Ventura County historical landmark. For that reason alone, supporters said, the school should not be used for any other purpose than as a school.

“There is an argument on the side of history with Simi Elementary,” local historian Pat Havens said. “Simi Valley has precious few landmarks to remind us of its past.”

Though enrollment is low at Mountain View, it’s the only school among the three where enrollment could grow because of new housing developments near its campus, school officials said.

For that reason, closing the school would be temporary and reopening would be costly and time-consuming, parents argued.

“We have the ability to easily grow and accommodate these families,” parent Peggy Moro said of anticipated new development estimated to bring hundreds of new families into the area.

Parents from all three schools said closure of their campuses would create safety risks because children would have to cross busy streets--and in some cases railroad tracks--to walk to more distant schools.

Last week, each of the three elementary schools submitted thick reports that will be used by a district review committee to make a closure recommendation this month. The board will vote on the issue in April.

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Although the board voted last month to shut an elementary school by next fall, at least one trustee said Tuesday she opposes closing any neighborhood school.

“You displace these kids from their neighborhood school, you have major problems,” trustee Debbie Sandland said. “You are taking a community and tearing it apart.”

Sandland said the district should consider other cost-cutting measures, such as closing the district office on Cochran Street and moving administrators elsewhere.

“That is my alternative--find another way,” she said.

But given the district’s $2.7-million deficit, trustee Judy Barry said shutting an elementary school is necessary to close the funding gap, and other elementary schools may eventually have to close.

Board president Diane Collins said the decision was one of the toughest trustees will have to face. But she said there is no question that a school must close.

“In my mind, this is a necessity we have put off for a number of years,” Collins said. “I don’t see how we can avoid it.”

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Possible School Closures The Simi Valley School district is considering closing one of three elementary schools to cut costs and streamline facility use.

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By the Numbers

School officials are evaluating three central Simi Valley elementary campuses to determine which site could be most easily closed. The following information will be used in making a closure recommendation:

Annual Enrollment Student Could take operating as of Jan. 6 capacity an extra: cost Mountain View 407 540 180 $177,170 Sycamore 364 660 150 $143,411 Simi 297 660 120-150 $127,755

Source: Simi Valley Unified School District