Builders Seemingly Steer Clear of Santa Clarita School Races

Filing for Santa Clarita Valley school board seats closed Wednesday with no sign of a political counterattack by building developers, who had been expected to back their own board candidates to fight heavy school taxes.

Twenty-one candidates had filed with the Los Angeles County registrar’s office for 10 seats on five Santa Clarita Valley school boards by the 5 p.m. deadline.

Ten candidates filed for Nov. 3 school board elections in the Las Virgenes, Soledad-Agua Dulce and Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes school districts. Eight candidates filed for three seats on the Santa Clarita Community College District Board. Incumbents in two Santa Clarita Valley water districts are unopposed.

Incumbents Challenged

Developers had been expected to place their own candidates in school board races in the fast-growing Santa Clarita Valley. That has not happened, although incumbents in the five districts have challengers, school officials said.

“There are no political overtones in the race,” said Gerald Heidt, an incumbent in the William S. Hart Union High School District.

In June, voters in the Hart, Castaic, Newhall, Saugus and Sulphur Springs school districts approved taxes on developers averaging $6,000 per new home to pay for schools. The election is being challenged in court as illegal by two developers’ groups.

“This was something we felt we had to do because the state didn’t have the funds,” Heidt said of the school tax.

Enrollment to Double

School board members in the five districts must grapple with the problem of financing classrooms for an enrollment that is expected to double to about 40,000 students by the year 2010.

At least 25 new schools must be built within 20 years, at a cost of about $300 million, school officials said.

Growth also is an issue in the Las Virgenes Joint Unified School District, which serves the Agoura area, but to a lesser degree. The school board there has considered year-round schools and a redistricting plan.

The candidates are:

Castaic Union School District, two seats; John W. (Jack) Johnson, Castaic, incumbent; Larry Harnage, Saugus, appointed incumbent; John D. Quigley, Castaic, father-homeowner; Jane Wakeham-Lopez, Saugus, teacher; Ruth G. Roess, Castaic, budget-procurement officer.

Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District, two seats: Ralph E. Krusey, Green Valley, incumbent; Robert McMahan, Lake Hughes, incumbent; Charles E. Slay, Lake Hughes, educator; Edith C. Welling, Lake Elizabeth, retired businesswoman.

2 Seats in Las Virgenes

Las Virgenes Joint Unified School District, two seats: Amy Berns, Agoura Hills, parent, teacher and psychologist; Ken Swor, Agoura Hills, film production manager; David L. Koval, Agoura Hills, certified public accountant; Roger R. Wakefield, Agoura Hills, educator.

Newhall School District, two seats: Roberta (Bobbie) Summers, Valencia, incumbent; Jay R. Manwaring, Valencia, incumbent; Richard W. Goss, Newhall, retirement plan manager; Ruth Hiebert, Newhall, educator.

Saugus Union School District, two seats: Peggy A. Marrone, Canyon Country, incumbent; Jeffry L. White, Saugus, incumbent; Eileen Connolly, Saugus, interested parent; Mollie Leonard, Valencia, self-employed.

Soledad-Agua Dulce Union School District, two seats: Martin Barofsky, Acton, incumbent; Fred Fate, Acton, deputy sheriff.

Sulphur Springs Union School District, two seats: Joan Whaling MacGregor, Canyon Country, incumbent; Susan R. Ostrom, Canyon Country, incumbent; Sheldon S. Wigdor, Canyon Country, engineering manager; Jeff L. Willis, Canyon Country, businessman.

William S. Hart Union School District, two seats: Gerald (Jerry) H. Heidt, Newhall, incumbent; Clara Jean Stroup, Newhall, incumbent; John Charles Auguste Simas, Saugus, tour director; Ronnie Silver, Newhall, education-community coordinator.

Santa Clarita Community College District (three seats):

Office No. 2: Michele R. Jenkins, Newhall, incumbent; Donald R. Gaskin, Los Angeles, adult education administrator; Frank L. Wright, Valencia, high school teacher. Office No. 4: Jack Boyer, Canyon Country, insurance broker; William J. Broyles, Canyon Country, school employee. Office No. 5: Richard G. Peoples, Saugus, incumbent; B. J. Atkins, Newhall, environmental consultant; Dan Brown, Canyon Country, college coach-businessman.

Incumbents Dean D. Hayes and Orick Ratzlaff, both of Saugus, are unopposed for two seats on the Green Valley County Water District board. In the Newhall County Water District, incumbents Donald B. Hayes and Robert W. Wade, both of Newhall, have no opposition.