SIMI VALLEY : Schools Cut Back Computer Plans

Simi Valley school officials have approved a scaled-down plan for $3.1 million in computer equipment for classrooms and the school district’s headquarters.

The original plan was cut back because of budget constraints, Simi Valley Unified School District officials said.

“We’re scaling it down to the best we can afford,” Associate Supt. Al Jacobs said.

The fund for instructional equipment was reduced from $3.1 million to $1.9 million and the fund for administrative equipment was cut to $1.2 million.

School board members Diane Collins and Carla Kurachi voted against the reduction Tuesday night, saying too much had been cut from the instructional budget. Collins said that the number of computer workstations was cut from 210 to 120 for secondary schools, and that the number of color monitors and videocassette recorders was reduced from 525 to 350.

“I don’t support this truncated program at the expense of students,” Collins said.

Funding for the technological upgrade would come from district funds, state funds, grants and the city’s Community Development Agency, officials said.

Under the approved plan, schools will get color monitors, VCRs, elementary school-level “Writing to Read” computer laboratories, a high school English and language arts computer laboratory, and dozens of teacher workstations at various schools.

The district’s headquarters will get a mainframe computer system to handle student, personnel and financial records.