Enrollment Drop Worsens School Funding Problems : Simi Valley: Loss of 279 students means $860,000 less in state money for financially strapped district.

Simi Valley school officials scoured their latest budget forecast Monday, searching for ways to reduce a projected $6-million deficit over the next three years, a shortfall compounded this year by a sharp decline in enrollment.

Since September of last year, enrollment in Simi Valley Unified schools has plummeted by 279 students, resulting in a loss of about $860,000 in state funding.

Although the decrease represents a drop of only 1.5% of the district’s overall enrollment, the loss of state money has created additional problems for a district already struggling to balance its budget.

“I don’t think we were expecting those kinds of numbers,” Trustee Norm Walker said. “Obviously, it has a major impact on the budget.”

The school board is scheduled to vote today on a proposal to close Sycamore Elementary School to cut costs, and board members have warned that they may be forced to lay off teachers if the financial situation worsens.

During Monday’s budget meeting, the board reviewed a list of possible cuts such as reducing employees’ salaries by 1%, relocating and selling the district’s Cochran Street office and increasing class size.

“Everything is on the table,” Walker said.

The district’s financial troubles were complicated by a dramatic drop in enrollment that has baffled school officials. With about 18,000 students, Simi Valley Unified is the largest district in Ventura County, and it is the only district experiencing rapidly declining enrollment.

“It seems like Simi is having the toughest time,” county schools Supt. Charles Weis said.

The decrease could force school officials to take drastic, unpopular steps to balance the budget--steps trustees have tried to avoid.

Simi school officials said the most likely reason for the decrease is families moving away after the Northridge earthquake in January of last year.

The only other Ventura County school district that has seen a drop in enrollment this year is Fillmore Unified, Weis said.

Like Simi Valley, Fillmore was seriously damaged by the quake, which displaced families and toppled homes and businesses. The school district has lost about 20 to 25 students in the quake’s aftermath, Business Manager Barbara Spieler said.

Although the numbers are far less dramatic than those in Simi, they amount to a loss of nearly $70,000 in state funding for Fillmore Unified, money that pays teachers’ salaries, school maintenance and other education costs.