3 Supporters of Split School District Seek Seats on Board

Setting the stage for what could be the most fractious election in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District’s 28-year history, three residents who favor splitting the district are seeking seats on the board on Nov. 7.

Peter Gardiner, Barry Hildebrand and Marianne Kipper--all directors of the East Peninsula Education Council (EPEC), the parents group that favors secession--filed candidacy papers last week with county election officials. Their candidacies follow an earlier pledge by the group to run candidates for the five-member school board.

There are three seats open in the at-large election. Also running are incumbents Jeffrey Younggren, the board’s current president, and Marlys Kinnell.

Because Sally Burrage is not seeking another term, election law requires that the filing deadline be extended five days, or until next Wednesday, and additional candidates could file before then.

Deadlines Extended

The peninsula school board election is expected to be the liveliest among 12 in the South Bay. Filing deadlines were extended in six other school districts because incumbents chose not to run, while elementary school districts in Manhattan Beach and Lawndale lacked candidates to fill the vacancies.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula election comes amid a long and bitter battle between EPEC and present board members, who have voted to close Miraleste High School on the east side because of declining enrollment. EPEC was formed in late 1987 immediately following the board’s decision to close the school.

EPEC subsequently obtained a court order that prohibited the district from shutting Miraleste until it produces an environmental impact report on school closings throughout the district. And the State Board of Education next month is scheduled to decide whether voters should be allowed to determine if a new district should be formed. Last July, the board split 5 to 3, with one absent, against the idea. Six votes are needed before the panel’s decisions are binding, and two seats on the state board are vacant.

In the latest development, the school board three weeks ago offered to keep Miraleste open on the condition that students be allowed to enroll in the high school of their choice. Besides Miraleste, the district has two other high schools in Rolling Hills Estates and Palos Verdes Estates.

EPEC members have greeted the proposal with optimism and agreed to talk with board members about the offer. Both sides are setting ground rules for those meetings.

EPEC members often have argued that residents on the less populated east side need more representation on the school board. Since 1968, when Miraleste opened, only one board member has hailed from the east side, according to EPEC President Donna Perrin.

“There is a real disparity in voting power,” Perrin said. “We are a minority over here.”

In the Torrance Unified School District, where there are three open seats, incumbents William Blischke, Ann Gallagher and Carol O’Brien have all filed for election. John Eubanks and Charles Mashburn are also seeking a seat on the board.

Two incumbents and six others are running for four school board seats in the El Segundo Unified School District. The candidates are incumbents Timothy Chang and Ruth Parks, as well as Jim Butterworth, Rich Reed, Ken Schofield, Patricia Walker, Jerry Walters, Nancy Wernick and Keith Wise. Incumbents Janice Cruikshank and Dave Jones did not file to run again.

In the Centinela Valley High School District, where board members are elected by area, Area 1 incumbent Ann Birdsall will face challenger Pam Sturgeon. Area 2 incumbent Herbert Barteltwill face Amparo Font, while Area 5 incumbent Aleta Collins will face A. Jacqueline Carrera.

In the Hawthorne School District, incumbents John Andersen, Rosemarie Caldwell and Leslie Smullen, as well as retired school principal Eleanor Escalante, have filed to run for three open seats in the elementary school district.

In the Hermosa Beach City School District, incumbents Mary Lou Weiss and Lynne Gonzales, as well as Bill Druar, filed to run for three open seats. Incumbent Georgia Tattu did not file in the elementary school district.

In the Lawndale School District, two incumbents, Bonnie Coronada and Robert Kruse, filed to run for three open seats. Rosine Drees did not file to run again in the elementary school district.

Lennox Elementary School District incumbents Hector Carrio, James Haley and Edward Urrutia were the only ones to file for three open seats.

Incumbents Gary R. Collins and Rosa Lee Saikley are seeking another term on the Manhattan Beach City School District board, where three seats are open. Incumbent Robert A. Devine did not file to run again in the elementary school district.

Wiseburn School District incumbents Walter Guerrero and Daniel Juarez filed for reelection, and Angelina Garza also filed to run. Incumbent Marc W. Schramm did not file to run again in the elementary school district.

In the South Bay Union High School District, incumbents Tom Downs and Lyn Flory, as well as Jim Duffy, filed to run for three open seats. Incumbent Noel Palm did not file for reelection.

El Camino Community College District trustees Lila Hummel, who represents Area 4, and Stanley Dunn, who represents Area 5, filed for reelection. They face no challengers.

Times Staff Writer Adrianne Goodman contributed to this story.