SIMI VALLEY : Board to Vote Again on Middle Schools

After years of debate and study ended with a decision to create middle schools in the Simi Valley Unified School District, the school board has decided to revisit the issue with another vote on the night a newly elected board member who opposes reconfiguration is sworn in.

Board members will decide Dec. 15 whether to switch to a middle school system next fall or reject the plan, which has been discussed in the community for years and was a key issue in the recent school board election.

Debbie Sandland, who ran a vigorous campaign this fall centered on opposing reconfiguration, said she feels that the public voiced its feelings on the plan by electing her to the board.

“We have many pressing needs,” Sandland said. “I don’t feel it’s a priority.”

Last December, the school board voted 3 to 2 to create middle schools. Judy Barry, Doug Crosse and Kenneth Ashton supported the proposal while Diane Collins and Carla Kurachi voted against it. With the retirement of Ashton on Tuesday and the swearing-in of Sandland in two weeks, the future of middle schools in Simi Valley is in jeopardy.

Under the plan, elementary schools would include kindergarten through the fifth grade, middle schools would house grades six through eight and high schools nine through 12. Currently, elementary schools in the district include kindergarten through the sixth grade, junior high schools grades seven through nine and high schools 10 through 12.

Simi Valley is the only district in the county without a middle school program, which supporters say allows the grouping of students to more closely match physical, emotional and intellectual development.

Board members at Tuesday night’s meeting were greeted by a group of about 40 parents toting signs reading “Middle School--A Proven Winner” and “Quit Changing Your Mind School Board Members.”

About 20 parents on both sides of the issue spoke at the meeting.

“We’re choosing to be a school district that is a dinosaur because we don’t want to change,” said Melissa Thiessen, who has two children at Valley View Junior High School. “Please don’t give up the ship just yet.”

However, Juanita Brooks said she feels that the district could implement the beneficial aspects of middle schools without changing the grade configuration.

“We shouldn’t spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need,” she said.

District officials told board members that the district would spend about $550,000 for one-time facility costs and about $426,000 annually in ongoing costs to implement middle schools.

At Crosse’s urging, the district will survey its about 1,600 employees before the next meeting to gauge their opinions about the middle school plan.

The school board’s next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at Simi Valley City Hall, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road.