Simi Valley Unified School District
| Simi Unified School District | |
|---|---|
 |
|
|
Simi Valley, CA Southern California-Ventura County United States |
|
| District information | |
| Type | Public |
| Grades | K-12, Adult Education, preschool |
| Superintendent | Dr. Jason Peplinski |
| Schools | 30 |
| Budget | $142 million (restricted and unrestricted) |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 18,179 (2013-2014) |
| Teachers | about 780 |
| Staff | about 1,070 (about 100 in management) |
| Other information | |
| Teachers' unions | Simi Educators Association, California Teachers Association |
| Website | www |
Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) is the second largest school district in Ventura County, California with about 18,000 students enrolled in the 2014-15 school year. Simi Valley's students come from the city of Simi Valley, the census-designated place of Santa Susana, and other adjacent unincorporated areas. The district operates 18 elementary schools, three middle schools, four high schools (including two comprehensive schools, one magnet school and one continuation school), one adult school, and one independent study school.
The Simi Valley Unified School District's Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Jason Peplinski as the new district superintendent on Dec. 9, 2014. He is active on social media and has made goals including keeping more students in the district and increasing communications.
The latest published School Accountability Report Card (SARC) for Simi Elementary School can be accessed from SVUSD's website.
The SARC report gave Simi Elementary its highest rating in all areas including the maintenance of buildings. The report also said there was no deferred maintenance funding for the 2012-2013 school year.'
The board voted in 2014 to offer random drug testing of high school students whose parents or legal guardians voluntarily sign them up. In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of mandatory drug testing by public schools of students participating in extracurricular activities.
Beginning in 1995, the district flirted with closing schools due to what was then early on-set declining enrollment. Simi Elementary School, in the 1990s, was already considered first for school closure due to high maintenance costs and its small size. Other schools considered at the time were Sycamore, Mountain View, and Justin Elementary schools - all due to declining enrollment. Ultimately, the district voted to not close any school due to backlash from the community, as they had previously closed four schools prior in the 1980s.
Since the 2003-2004 school year, the school district has experienced a decline in enrollment (along with the rest of the state of California). Enrollment peaked at nearly 22,000 in 2003 and was down to about 18,000 in 2013. After reviewing the enrollment figures, a committee consisting of administrators, teachers, parents and community members recommended closing three schools. After hearing public testimony, the committee came to the decision January 14, 2014 to not close any schools and disbanded.
...
Wikipedia