School District Panel Recommends June Closure of Simi Valley Campus : Education: Committee says Sycamore is near four other schools and could be easily leased.

After an extensive review, a Simi Valley school district committee has recommended closing Sycamore School in June to save the district’s ailing budget about $200,000 a year.

A small pink-and-white school surrounded by vast playing fields and tall pine trees, Sycamore was one of three central Simi Valley elementary campuses targeted in January for possible closure.

A committee charged with reviewing in-depth studies of the schools decided late Wednesday that Sycamore should close because four other elementary campuses are nearby and students could be transferred. The Sycamore site also could be easily leased, the committee decided.

The school board will discuss the committee’s recommendation during a public session at the trustees’ March 28 meeting. A final vote is scheduled for April 18.

Carrying letters announcing the recommendation, stunned parents and children reacted with disbelief as they left the campus Thursday afternoon.

“I am beside myself,” said parent Adel Martin, wiping tears from her cheeks. “Where are we going to go? What are we going to do?”

Martin enrolled her son, Daniel, at Sycamore because the school is the only one in the district with a program for severely disabled students. The 10-year-old has thrived in the integrated setting, she said. The program would have to be moved to another school.

But if Sycamore is closed, Martin fears her son’s education will be jeopardized. “That was my dream--that I could take my son (to school) and he would be accepted,” she said. Now, “I have to start over.”

Lingering on campus after school Thursday, fifth-grader Melissa Goode criticized the recommendation.

“I’m mad,” the 10-year-old said. “I like this school . . .. I’ve only been here since fourth grade but I still don’t want this school to close down.”

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Galvin Kidwell, 12, was also angered by the recommendation. “I don’t particularly like school, but if I had to choose one to go to, it would be this school.”

Vowing to fight the recommendation, some parents are planning a massive lobbying effort before the board meets to make a decision on April 18.

“We are not going to go down without a fight, that is for sure,” parent Gary Murphy said. “It’s kind of a shock, but it is not a done deal.”

But given the district’s financial situation and Sycamore’s low enrollment, Principal Bob Chall said he expects the recommendation to be approved.

“They’ve got to save money,” he said. “Our budget is in a crunch.”

The Simi Valley Unified School District is facing a $3-million deficit. Closing a school will save about $200,000 annually in maintenance costs, officials said.

A school closure would also generate money since the district plans to lease the campus once the site is shut down.

“I think the No. 1 reaction is ‘Why us?’ ” Chall said of reaction from parents. “The only answer you can give is we must have the best leaseability.”

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Although the school is on a quiet residential street in central Simi Valley, it is only a few blocks from a busy commercial area along Cochran Street. Of the three schools being considered for closure, Sycamore’s location is the most appealing to potential renters, he said.

Low enrollment was another reason Sycamore was targeted, Chall explained. Sycamore has only 376 students, while most California schools average about 550 students, Chall said.

If the campus is closed, its students and teachers would probably be relocated to four other schools in the nearby area: Atherwood, Justin, Garden Grove and Simi elementary schools. District leaders will be holding meetings “looking at boundaries to see what would be the best,” Chall said.

Although Chall said he understands why the committee chose Sycamore as the site best suited for closure, it doesn’t make the news any easier to bear.

“I’m sad,” he said, watching the students leave at the end of the school day Thursday. “I’m not surprised, but I am sad.”

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Sycamore Targeted A Simi Valley school district committee has recommended that Sycamore School be closed next fall to cut costs.