Simi School Officials Try to Heal Relations With Teachers

With a new superintendent and two new school board members now in place, officials of the financially beleaguered Simi Valley Unified School District say their primary focus will be to improve relations with teachers.

How successful they will be may be determined next month when teacher contract negotiations begin.

The negotiations come at a time when Ventura County’s largest school district--18,000 students and 26 campuses--is still grappling with the effects of $8 million in budget cuts. The cuts included the layoff of 32 temporary teachers, four librarians and four nurses.

School officials said limited state funds combined with an 8% salary increase for teachers were largely responsible for the cuts. The teachers’ union, however, charged school officials with poor planning and fiscal irresponsibility and filed 15 grievances against the district. Of them, 11 were heard by an arbitrator, who ruled in favor of the district in 10.

Although the grievances have been settled and a number of changes have been made in the administration, school officials admit that contract bargaining won’t be easy considering the worsening economy. The situation is more difficult, they say, because they will not know how much money the district can expect to receive until a new state budget is passed next summer.

“Bargaining is a challenge in all school districts, and it will be a challenge here, especially with the tight fiscal school year,” Supt. Robert Purvis said. “We don’t know what the financial outlook is going to be.”

Bill Davenport, president of the Simi Valley Educators Assn. and a teacher at Valley View Junior High, said it is too early to say what salary increases and benefits the teachers will ask for when talks begin Jan. 24.

He said he is cautiously optimistic about the negotiations since the administration has changed. Nevertheless, he said increased workloads for teachers and crowded classrooms that have resulted from the budget cuts will need to be addressed.

“It’s going to take a little time to heal the wounds of the spring massacre,” he said. “It’s not something that is going to get over with easily and quickly.”

Purvis said one advantage he has over former Supt. John Duncan in dealing with the teachers’ union is that he does not suffer from what he calls “accumulated malice.” Duncan had a combative relationship with the union that seemed to have come to a head with the budget cuts this year, union officials said.

Shortly after the cuts were made, Duncan, who had served as chief administrator for 16 years, announced that he would resign to become head of a Northern California school district.

Since June, two other top administrators have left the district and another recently announced plans to resign. Chet Howe, assistant to the superintendent, retired in June. Pete Rogalsky, senior director of curriculum, resigned in July to become head of the Rio Elementary School District in Oxnard.

Associate Supt. Allan Jacobs, who was passed over for the superintendent’s job, announced that he would resign shortly after the board decided to hire Purvis. Purvis had previously served as superintendent of the Chico Unified School District in Butte County, northeast of San Francisco. He has also worked as a teacher and principal in districts in Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange counties.

“It was time for a change,” board President Judy Barry said of the decision to hire Duncan’s replacement from outside the district. “I think we made the right decision.”

Purvis is not the only new face at the district. Doug Crosse and Carla Kurachi were elected to the school board last month. They replaced retiring board president Helen Beebe and Lew Roth, a 22-year veteran of the board who was defeated in his bid for reelection.

Kurachi said Roth’s defeat underscored the feeling in the community that some additional changes on the board were needed.

“I think the election showed what people think,” Kurachi said. “I think people are not only expecting changes but demanding changes.”

Kurachi and Crosse, both of whom have children in the district, said they decided to run for the board in large part because of the growing divisiveness between teachers and administrators.

“I think now with a new board and a new superintendent, we have a tremendous opportunity for a fresh start,” Crosse said.

The new board members and Purvis said they plan to spend a lot of time talking to teachers and parents about the changes they would like to see and to solicit their support in implementing those changes. Purvis said he already has 14 meetings scheduled next month with parents.

“Simi Valley has two major issues--the budget and employer-employee relations,” Purvis said. “I think it’s important for parents, staff and the school board to form a partnership to look for solutions to these problems. I’m not magic. To be successful, we need support and a lot of cooperation.”

Janet Difatti, president of the Simi Valley Parent Teachers Assn., said she is looking forward to working with Purvis. She said she is encouraged by his desire to get the community more involved in the schools.

“He seems to have a real concern for what the community wants,” Difatti said. “Hopefully, everybody has the same goals.”