DISTRICT MAKES TOUGH DECISIONS TO EDUCATE KIDS.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

With 29,000 children scheduled to return to school Wednesday in Simi Valley and Moorpark, district number crunchers say they have done their best to shield students from cost-cutting measures.

Larry Brown, assistant superintendent of business services for the Moorpark Unified School District, said several steps had been taken to absorb state-driven budget cuts, but on the surface, students might notice more resources rather than less.

``We made some gut-wrenching decisions to accommodate the $2 million cut in the budget,'' Brown said. ``We eliminated administrative positions in the custodial, instructional and grounds-keeping areas and modified the district's support of student body fund handling. They will have to do more of that themselves.''

The Moorpark district, Brown said, has dipped into its reserves for approximately $250,000, and he acknowledged that midyear cuts still could occur.

``Ironically, what the kids will see when they come back is a lot of new construction,'' he said. ``There will be new buildings, a new playground, new restrooms, equipment, carpeting - one school even got a new multipurpose room. Arroyo West has a new roof, and construction will start soon on the new gymnasium at the high school.''

The new facilities are financed from bond money approved by voters last year.

Mel Roop, assistant superintendent for facilities and properties at the Simi Valley Unified School District, said many projects started when students left campuses in June have been completed using developer, surplus property or modernization funding provided by last year's ballot Measure A.

``We've added portable classrooms to several campuses and done some interior remodeling, completed some roofing and paving projects and are working on the air conditioning at Santa Susana High School,'' he said.

``In response to the budget, we've made some cuts back in the maintenance department; we will only be able to make emergency repairs,'' he said. ``But it won't affect construction projects, since they're funded separately.''

Moorpark's Brown seemed to sum up the optimism felt by both districts.

``The good news is that class sizes have not increased,'' he said.

Class student-to-teacher ratios in Simi Valley and Moorpark are slightly higher than the state average but in keeping with other schools in Ventura County.

The ratio for kindergarten through third grades is limited to 20 students per teacher by state mandate, but goes up as students progress. For upper elementary grades 4-6, the state average is 29 to 1; in Simi Valley, it is 31 to 1 and Moorpark 30 to 1. For junior high or middle school grades, Simi Valley takes a large step up. The state average is 27 to 1, Simi Valley 35 to 1 and Moorpark 27 to 1. The Ventura County ratio for both upper elementary and junior high grades is 31 to 1.

Kathryn Scroggins, who took over as superintendent at Simi Valley when Joyce Mahdesian retired last month, said the biggest victim of the district's budget cuts was the Opportunity Program for at-risk students who were given special chances to improve themselves.

The program involved only 12 to 15 students per semester, but Scroggins considers the program important enough to reinstate once the financial situation improves.

``But our curricular and extracurricular programs, such as arts and sports, survived intact,'' she said. ``The only time they might not be part of the school program is when a specific site council at a specific school decides not to have the program.

``One of the things we're going to focus on is maximizing resources of what we do have left for quality projects for our students,'' she said. ``Our school board is committed to improving student achievement; they are looking at scores and planning with site administrators to continue improving scores.''

As the new administrator at the top, Scroggins has some hopes and dreams for the district.

``I'm aiming for clear and concise, honest and open communication on all levels,'' she said. ``My theme is continuous improvement districtwide. We will all work toward improving the success of the students, the school and employees. That's an important part of a health organization.''

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Kristina Lamb, 12, chats on her cell phone between orientation sessions Tuesday at Valley View Middle School.

(2 -- 3) New students at Valley View, above, gather during an orientation break. Terry Webb, left, principal of the school, talks with parents Tuesday.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer