School Officials Will Travel With Scholars

Supt. Joyce Mahdesian and school board President Carla Kurachi will travel to San Antonio this week to cheer on Simi Valley High School’s Academic Decathlon team in the national championships.

The cost of the trip, paid with public funds, is $2,250.

“My purpose is to be there to be supportive and to let them know how proud we are of their effort and to lead the cheering squad,” Mahdesian said.

Simi Valley Unified School District policy allows the board president and superintendent to travel to certain events at the district’s expense, she said.

Trustee Norm Walker said the cost is justified because it wouldn’t look good if the district failed to send a delegation. “This is too important,” he said.

Kurachi said she is excited about the team’s chances to bring home the national championship.

“I have helped a little bit in the preparation. That gave me a chance to get to know them,” she said. “It is such an exciting thing for our school district, and I want to lend support to them.”

This isn’t exactly a free trip for Kurachi’s family. Her husband and two sons will also attend the championship; they will pay their own way.

“I guess we’ll be putting off Hawaii for another year,” she said.

Simi Valley High Principal Dennis Rast and Assistant Principals Steve Pietrolungo and Robert Garcia are making the trip and also covering their own costs. They will fly out Thursday night and miss school on Friday.

Rast said he doesn’t mind paying to make sure he and his wife, Susan, can be there for the action.

“We are more concerned about getting our team down there,” Rast said. “I am just happy I am being allowed to go.”

Getting the team down there isn’t cheap either.

Ken Hibbitts, the team’s coach, estimates the flight and stay in San Antonio will cost about $13,000 for the nine team members and two coaches.

The California Academic Decathlon contributed $5,000 for the team’s air fare, and the school district gave the team $4,000. The rest of the money has been raised through donations.

The team received a check for $1,000 from the Michael Milken Foundation and additional money from local businesses, including a $100 check from Costco Wholesale.