SVUSD says fond farewell to more than 70 employees

More than 70 employees celebrated their retirement from Simi Valley Unified School District last month at a tea in their honor.

Cheryl McGuire, a school services assistant at Berylwood Elementary, was the most senior employee, having been hired 41 years ago in 1968. McGuire has worked at Sycamore, Justin and Santa Susana elementary schools. Don Gaudioso, assistant superintendent of personnel services, said this year's retirees were special because they saved other jobs.

"Most years when people retire, we're able to hire someone new to take their place," Gaudioso said. "But this year, every single person who retired ended up saving a job for someone who already worked for us. For every retiree, it was one less person who had to be laid off."

Forty-five teachers were among the large group who said goodbye to SVUSD, including Geneva Pringle, an elementary school teacher at Hollow Hills.

Pringle spent 10 years at Sycamore followed by three years at Park View and 27 years at Hollow Hills. Lee Strong has also taught in SVUSD for 40 years, spending his last 21 years at Simi Valley High School as a science teacher.

Several other teachers are retiring after teaching in the district more than 30 years.

"I think it's remarkable that we had such a large number of people who retired this year and the average length of service for each person was over 25 years," Gaudioso said. "They all were extremely long-term employees."

Gary Searles has been a plant manager for SVUSD for 39 years. Jill Boucher, who is retiring from Hillside, has been a campus supervisor for 36 years, and Donald Skinner has served as a custodian for the same amount of time.

Teachers included: Sharon Borelli, Pamela BozinovskiNancy Brewer, Pam BullockKenneth Butts Jr., Roger Clark

Sally Claunch, Katharyn Cross, Nicki Crowley, Karen Cunningham, Thomas D'Errico, Joyce Doherty,

Virginia Donohue, Karen Donovan, Janet Draves, Pam Ferris, Art Ford, Jane Forrester, Candace Gantka, Linda Haverlation, Janet Hinderer, Timothy Johnson, Norma Joyce, Mike Kohl, Pamela Loftus, Irene Marcuson, Roger McCamy, Terrence McGrath, Sherry Mueller, Gail Pyfrom, Geneva Pringle, Sandra Reynolds, Marvin Remster, Barbara Rinetti, Virginia Rossy, Joyce Schneider, Filomena Shaw, Dennis Snyder, Gail Simpson, Lee Strong, Michael Nino Tadjalli, Eugene Thomas, Kay Warner, Michael Weber and Susan Ziemer.

Sherrie DuFresne, principal at Sycamore, is also retiring. DuFresne has been at Sycamore for three years and served as principal at Mountain View for four years.

There were eight student safety and transit employees, including bus drivers, who retired: Thomas Fillingame, Wilburn Howell, Eleanor Lopez, Paul Okun, Margaret Ramirez, Edmund Roberts, Valerie White and Sue-Dee Zeug-Bruton,

Other district or school staff included: Martha Dinovo, Gary Hainline, John Leas, Victoria Levin, Joyce McKinney, Maurice McTague, MaryJean Morrison, Gary Nottingham, Allen Reed, Deborah Riley, Suzanne Ruffner-Blum, Lucy Schwartz and Sandra Zbella.