Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) is a
school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations.
North America United States
In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...
in
Ventura County, California
Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura.
Ventura County comprises the Oxn ...
. The district serves students from the city of Simi Valley, the
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...
of
Santa Susana, and other adjacent unincorporated areas. SVUSD operates 18 elementary schools, three middle schools, four high schools (including two comprehensive schools, one magnet school, and one continuation school), one adult school, and one independent study school. During the 2014–15 school year, the district's enrollment numbered about 18,000. The current superintendent is Dr. Jason Peplinski, who has served since December 9, 2014.
History
Ninth grade move to high schools, Santa Susana High opening
Throughout its early history, the Simi Valley Unified School District educated ninth graders at its junior high schools. This changed in the mid-1990s, when the school board approved a controversial plan to move ninth graders to its high schools. To offset the lower enrollment at the junior high schools, the district converted one of the then four junior high campuses into a
magnet high school
In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...
.
Sequoia Junior High School reopened as
Santa Susana High School
Santa Susana High School is one of four public high schools located in the Simi Valley Unified School District in Simi Valley, California. Built in 1970, the school campus was originally designed as a junior high campus formerly known as Sequoia ...
in 1996.
Declining enrollment and school closures
Beginning in 1995, the Simi Valley Unified School District considered closing schools due to what was then early on-set declining enrollment. Simi Elementary School, in the 1990s, was already considered first for school closure due to high maintenance costs and its small size.
Other schools considered at the time were Sycamore, Mountain View, and Justin elementary schools. Ultimately, the district voted to not close any school due to backlash from the community, as they had previously closed four schools prior in the 1980s.
Enrollment declines in Simi Valley and the state of California continued into the 2000s. Following a peak of 22,000 in 2003, the number of students in the district reduced to 18,000 in 2013. In response, a committee consisting of administrators, teachers, parents, and community members recommended closing three schools.
[Moore, Jean Cowde]
"At Simi Valley meeting, speakers fight to keep schools open"
''Ventura County Star'' December 10, 2013 On January 14, 2014, after hearing public testimony, the committee decided not to close any schools and disbanded.
On January 31, 2014, Simi Elementary School was notified of possible relocation of the school due to the overall condition and safety of the campus. The school was built in 1926 as the first in Simi Valley; Ventura County has named it a Historical Landmark.
[Cultural Heritage Board]
''County of Ventura Planning Division'' Accessed February 5, 2014[Simi Elementary School & Bungalows was designed by architect Arthur G. Lindley and was designated County Landmark # 139 in August 1990. The school was built in 1926 by Lutz Construction Company as a part of Community Center and has been in continuous use. The bungalows were built from lumber from the original Simi School (1890).] The issues at hand regarding the facility and infrastructure are:
* Broken water mains
* Possible broken sewer line under a classroom which has caused the floor to sink
* Gas lines underground which are old and brittle causing periodic gas leaks
* Deteriorating roofs
* A septic tank which is in danger of collapsing
* Potential asbestos
* Potential rust in water lines
* Potential mold
* Potential lead
The Inspection was contracted through LI & Associates, Inc. who has been monitoring the infrastructure and safety of the school since November 12, 2012. In the latest report dated January 7, 2014, the company, regarding the administrative building, stated, ''"During process of our seismic retrofit design on this building, we learned that this building does not have a valid DSA permit. Therefore, this building cannot be used by student per California State regulations."''
Due to the cost of needed repairs to the Simi Elementary campus, SVUSD decided to close Simi Elementary. On February 4, 2014, the board voted 4–1 to relocate Simi Elementary to the Mountain View Elementary campus as of February 18, 2014; the school continued to function as a separate school until the end of the 2013–14 school year.
In the fall of the 2014-15 school year, SVUSD made a recommendation to close Abraham Lincoln and Justin elementary schools due to a decline in enrollment and approved the closure in January 2015.
Monte Vista School is using the Lincoln campus and Justin
Early Learners Academy is using the Justin campus.
Random drug testing
The SVUSD board voted in 2014 to offer random drug testing of high school students whose parents or legal guardians voluntarily sign them up. In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court
upheld the constitutionality of mandatory drug testing by public schools of students participating in extracurricular activities.
Schools
Elementary schools
*Arroyo Elementary School
*Atherwood Elementary School
*Berylwood Elementary School
*Crestview Elementary School
*Big Springs Elementary School
*Garden Grove Elementary School
*Hollow Hills Fundamental School
*Justin Early Learners Academy
*Katherine Elementary School
*Knolls Elementary School
*Madera Elementary School
*Mountain View Elementary School
*Park View Elementary School
*Santa Susana Elementary School
*Sycamore Elementary School
*Township Elementary School
*Vista Fundamental School
*White Oak Elementary School
*Wood Ranch Elementary School
Former elementary schools
*Abraham Lincoln Elementary School (1959–2015)
*Simi Elementary School (1927–2015)
*Walnut Grove Elementary School (1963-1983)
Middle schools
*Hillside Middle School
*Sinaloa Middle School
*Valley View Middle School
*Center Junior High School (unknown-1973, now Apollo Continuation School)
Former middle schools
*Sequoia Junior High School (1970–1996, now Santa Susana High School)
High schools
*
Royal High School
*
Santa Susana High School
Santa Susana High School is one of four public high schools located in the Simi Valley Unified School District in Simi Valley, California. Built in 1970, the school campus was originally designed as a junior high campus formerly known as Sequoia ...
*
Simi Valley High School
Simi Valley High School (SVHS) is a public high school in Simi Valley, California. The school is part of the Simi Valley Unified School District and is located on the east side of the city.
History
Simi Valley High School was established in 1920 ...
*
Apollo Continuation School
Adult schools
*
Simi Institute for Careers and Education
Alternative/independent schools
*Monte Vista School (K—12)
Notes
References
External links
*
{{SVUSDSchoolBox
*
School districts in Ventura County, California