2nd-in-Command to Take Top Simi Valley School District Post

The second-in-command of Simi Valley schools, Mary Beth Wolford, will take the reins of the 18,000-student district beginning July 1, school board members announced Friday.

Wolford, 60, replaces outgoing Supt. Robert Purvis at a time when districts statewide are struggling to maintain quality programs despite declining state funding for education.

The bleakest financial picture is yet to be seen, Wolford said. “Not this (coming) year, but the year after,” she said after school board members announced their unanimous decision.

“My long-term priority will be providing effective leadership for a school district that will be encountering significant problems, as districts will be encountering statewide,” Wolford said.

Wolford’s six years of experience as the Simi Valley Unified School District’s business and property manager and her seven years as superintendent of a small elementary school district in Northern California played into the decision, board members said.

“She has the distinct advantage of being able to hit the bricks running,” said board member Doug Crosse.

The board voted unanimously in closed session this week to appoint Wolford to the job from a field of 21 candidates and eight finalists, board members said.

At its next regular meeting on June 8, the board is expected to formalize its decision by approving a three-year contract with Wolford. Under the terms of the proposed contract, Wolford would earn $99,500 annually, compared to the $94,000 salary extended to Purvis during his nearly three years as the district’s top administrator.

Frustrated in part by having to constantly seek ways to cut the budget, Purvis announced his retirement in January, following the lead of four other Ventura County superintendents who will leave their posts by this summer.

Maintaining the financial stability of Ventura County’s largest school district will be a primary responsibility in her new role, Wolford said. The district has an annual operating budget of $84 million.

“There will be many school districts that won’t be able to make the grade as far as funding,” Wolford said, not including Simi Valley schools in that assessment.

Wolford joined the district as assistant superintendent in charge of business operations and property management in 1987. Two years ago, she was elevated to deputy superintendent, responsible for performing as superintendent in Purvis’ absence.

From 1980 to 1987, Wolford was superintendent of the Byron Union School District in Contra Costa County, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade district with fewer than 1,000 students.

She began her career in 1969 as a special education teacher in Contra Costa County’s Mt. Diablo Unified School District, where she eventually became a program administrator.

When she takes charge, Wolford will be asked to continue the efforts begun by Purvis to improve employee morale by keeping the lines of communication open, board members said.

“Any time there was a problem or something to solve, he involved representatives from every group that would be affected by the decision,” said board President Judy Barry.

Until her replacement is hired, Wolford will continue her property management duties as she slips into the chief executive officer’s seat, she said. Ambitious plans to complete $7 million in renovations to district schools get under way this summer, she said.

“I’ll have to get my track shoes on and run between both offices,” Wolford said.