The Simi Valley Unified School District's Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Jason Peplinski as the new district superintendent on Dec. 9, 2014. He is active on social media and has made goals including keeping more students in the district and increasing communications.
The latest published School Accountability Report Card for Simi Elementary School can be accessed from SVUSD's website. The SARC report gave Simi Elementary its highest rating in all areas including the maintenance of buildings. The report also said there was no deferred maintenance funding for the 2012-2013 school year.'
Beginning in 1995, the district flirted with 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 - all due to declining enrollment. 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.
Since the 2003-2004 school year, the school district has experienced a decline in enrollment. Enrollment peaked at nearly 22,000 in 2003 and was down to about 18,000 in 2013. After reviewing the enrollment figures, a committee consisting of administrators, teachers, parents and community members recommended closing three schools. After hearing public testimony, the committee came to the decision January 14, 2014 to not 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. Simi Elementary was built in 1926 as the first school in the city. Ventura County has named it a Historical Landmark. 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
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 Mountain View Elementary as of February 18, 2014. The school continued to function as a separate school until the end of the 2013-2014 school year. In the fall of the 2014-2015 school year, SVUSD made a recommendation to close Abraham Lincoln and Justin Elementary school due to a decline in enrollment and approved the closure in January 2015. Monte Vista School is using the Lincoln campus and Justin Early Learner's Academy is using the Justin campus.
