Santa Clarita Valley Has Few Issues in School Races

With the spotlight in the Santa Clarita Valley illuminating the cityhood election and 25 city council candidates, a number of other races on the Nov. 3 ballot have gone largely unnoticed.

Voters also must elect 14 school board members from a field of more than two dozen in seven school districts in the area. Twelve more candidates are vying for three seats on the Santa Clarita Community College District board.

Although some candidates are distributing campaign flyers to households and some school districts have held candidates’ forums, there are few issues--other than maintaining quality schools--to attract the public’s attention to the races.

“At least there is competition for every seat,” said one educator. “That’s healthy, we think.”

Only one of the school or college board candidates--Gerald Heidt, an incumbent in the William S. Hart Union High School District--has rented campaign advertising space on a billboard. But that was done mainly to give more exposure to his wife, Janice, who is seeking a seat on the proposed Santa Clarita city council.

The school board race simply has “no political overtones,” said Heidt.

Months ago, observers had predicted that the school board races would be controversial because developers, who are fighting heavy taxes imposed on new homes in five of the school districts, were expected to back their own candidates. But they did not, choosing instead to concentrate their efforts on trying to defeat cityhood.

In June, voters had approved taxing builders up to $6,300 for each new home to pay for classrooms in the fast-growing Hart, Castaic Union, Newhall, Saugus Union and Sulphur Springs Union school districts. Two developers’ groups are challenging the legality of the election in court.

School board members in those five districts must struggle to continue providing quality education for students in classrooms that are becoming more crowded each year because of growth. Enrollment in the districts, where average test scores on state-administered exams have been high, is expected to double to about 40,000 students by the year 2010.

Because the schools enjoy such a good reputation, the Santa Clarita Valley is attractive to builders and home buyers. To accommodate the new residents, at least 25 new schools, at a cost of about $300 million, must be built within 20 years, school officials say. School board members will have to cope with finding ways to finance the construction.

All-Portable School

As if to illustrate the crowding, the Saugus district was forced to open the first all-portable school when classes began in September. District officials say they are using every available space for instruction.

There also has been talk of year-round schools, such as those in the Los Angeles district, and increased busing of students in several districts.

In the Hart district, Heidt of Canyon Country and fellow incumbent Clara Jean Stroup of Newhall are being challenged by Ronnie Silver, a Newhall parent volunteer, and John Charles Auguste Simas, a tour director from Saugus.

Incumbent John W. (Jack) Johnson of Castaic and appointee Larry Harnage of Saugus are running against three challengers in the Castaic elementary district--John D. Quigley of Castaic, a homeowner and father; Ruth G. Roess of Castaic, a budget and procurement officer, and teacher Jane Wakeham-Lopez of Saugus.

In the Newhall elementary district, Richard W. Goss, a retirement plan manager, and Ruth Hiebert, an educator, both of Newhall, are running against incumbents Jay R. Manwaring and Roberta (Bobbie) Summers, both of Valencia.

Mollie Leonard, a self-employed Valencia resident, and Ellen Connolly, listed on the ballot as an interested parent from Saugus, are challenging Saugus elementary district incumbents Peggy A. Marrone of Canyon Country and Jeffry L. White of Saugus.

Sulphur Springs elementary district candidates are incumbents Joan Whaling MacGregor and Susan R. Ostrom; Sheldon S. Wigdor, an engineer, and Jeff L. Willis, a businessman. All are from Canyon Country.

In the nearby Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District, which serves residents in the mountain communities above Saugus, Charles S. Slay, a Lake Hughes educator, and Edith C. Welling, a retired businesswoman from Lake Elizabeth, are opposing incumbents Ralph E. Krusey of Green Valley and Robert McMahan of Lake Hughes.

Incumbent Martin Barofsky and Fred Fate, a deputy sheriff, were unchallenged for the two open seats on the Soledad-Agua Dulce Union School District.

In the Santa Clarita Community College District, a crowded field of candidates is seeking Office No. 4, where no incumbent is running. Candidates are Jack Boyer of Canyon Country, an insurance broker and City of Santa Clarita Formation Committee member; William J. Broyles of Canyon Country, a school maintenance worker who also is seeking a city council seat; Roger F. Garza of Valencia, a contracts administrator; Ulric L. Grigsby Jr. of Valencia, a retired aircraft engineer; A. (Val) Schneider of Saugus, a property manager, and Valerie Thomas of Newhall, a marketing specialist.

For the district’s Office No. 3, incumbent Michele R. Jenkins of Newhall is being challenged by high school teacher Frank L. Wright of Valencia and adult education administrator Donald R. Gaskin of Newhall.

In Office No. 5, B. J. Atkins of Newhall, an environmental consultant, and Dan Brown of Canyon Country, a college coach and businessman, are running against incumbent Richard G. Peoples of Saugus.