ELECTIONS SCHOOL BOARD : Different Challenges Emerge in Countdown to School Elections

In nine school districts across Ventura County, challengers and incumbents will battle Nov. 6 in races that range from neighborly in a small district in Santa Paula to competitive in Simi Valley, where the county’s biggest district has been hit hard by budget problems.

Countywide, 18 incumbents are trying to keep their seats. The 35 challengers are hoping to make a difference for local schools. Many of the challengers are parents concerned about their children’s education, particularly in light of state funding cuts to public education.

Countywide issues are growth, crowded classrooms, bilingual education, the statewide school funding crisis and attracting and keeping good teachers.

In the Oxnard Union High and Simi Valley Unified school districts, where new superintendents have recently been hired, the elections would mean further big changes if challengers prevail. Three seats are up for grabs on the Oxnard board, while two are available in Simi Valley.

The balance of the board could also shift, with new members in the majority, in several other districts where three seats are open, including the Santa Paula Union High School District, Oxnard Elementary, Hueneme Elementary, Camarillo’s Pleasant Valley Elementary and Ojai Unified.

For different reasons, growth has been an issue in Camarillo’s Pleasant Valley district and in the Simi Valley Unified district.

The Pleasant Valley district is growing at about 150 students a year, mostly in eastern Camarillo. The board commissioned a study on new school needs for the next 20 years, but challengers have charged that the board waited too long to act.

In Simi Valley, where an $8-million budget shortfall led to layoffs for 32 temporary teachers and other cuts, the Simi Educators Assn. filed a grievance this month, charging that the number of students in 58 academic classes exceeds 36, the district’s upper limit for class size.

Budget problems overshadow other issues in Simi Valley, where in addition to laying off teachers and other employees last July, officials reassigned some administrators to lower-level positions and cut instructional programs.

Five candidates, including one incumbent, are battling for two seats in the 18,000-student Simi Valley district.

Carla Kurachi, a counselor, said the district needs to set a stricter attendance policy to stem a dropout rate of about 14%. She said she would encourage the district to write for more grants as a source of revenue. She favors establishing a community service requirement for graduation, encouraging students to volunteer in tutoring, working with seniors, graffiti removal or other areas.

Donald Otto said the district should expand lobbying efforts in Sacramento to increase local funding. “With enough business interest and parent support, we can make changes happen and influence people in Sacramento,” said Otto, a father of two who owns a local warehouse distribution business. “That’s where our problems lie.”

Incumbent Lewis (Lew) Roth, who is seeking his sixth term, cited his accomplishments as a board member, including starting town hall meetings to hear community concerns. He said the district should start its own job-training program instead of relying on a county-run program, which Roth said is inadequate.

Challenger Douglas Crosse, a semi-retired owner of an alarm system business, said he has a long history of community service and would bring business expertise to the school board. Crosse has two children in Simi Valley schools.

Karolyn J. Searight, said that if elected, she would concentrate on recruiting more teachers and examining the budget to see where operating cuts can be made. “We have to take a closer look to see where it can be trimmed,” said Searight, a head bookkeeper for a printing company. She has two children in the district.

Three positions are up for election on Santa Paula Union High School District board. Five candidates, including two incumbents, are vying for seats. Issues raised in the district, which has one regular school and a continuation school, are the high dropout rate and a high turnover among administrators.

Challenger Robert J. Villa was assistant superintendent until the end of last school year, when his position was eliminated. Rather than accept a lower-ranking classroom position, Villa said, he chose to resign after 20 years with the district and is now unemployed.

Villa, whose son attends Santa Paula High, said he decided to run for the board because “I felt I could continue to advocate for people I have advocated for all these years.” He said hiring and keeping teachers and administrators is one of the district’s biggest problems.

The incumbents are Shirley Hendren, who is seeking her second term, and Donna Nelson, who has served on the board since 1975. Also running are challengers McKay Hendrix, an electrician, and Tana Ramirez, a newspaper district manager.

In the 3,500-student Ojai Unified School District, where three seats are available, one challenger and three incumbents are seeking seats.

Challenger Alan D. Fletcher said overcrowding is one of the biggest issues facing the district. Fletcher, who said he removed his daughter from an Ojai school because her classroom was overcrowded, said he would work to find ways to solve the problem, and would build a network for parents who want to volunteer in Ojai schools.

The three Ojai incumbents are Robert Emhardt, who is seeking reelection to his third term, Vincent W. France, who began as a board member in 1979, and Muriel Sharkey Lavender, a board member since 1977.

In the two-school, 300-student Briggs Elementary School District, five candidates, including one incumbent, are vying for three seats. As in past years, the campaign in the Santa Paula district has maintained a low-key, even friendly atmosphere, candidates said.

Two Briggs challengers, Lloyd G. Simpson and Elizabeth Ikeda, are sending out a flyer together. Also seeking seats are incumbent Karen L. MacConell, who is running for a third term, and challengers Greg Patterson, a citrus ranch manager, and agricultural manager Jeff Williams.

Growth is a major issue in the one-school Mesa Union Elementary School District in Somis, where enrollment has increased this year from 340 students to 363. Five candidates are running for three seats.

Incumbent Patricia Fontes, a school administrator, is seeking a fourth term. The challengers are Fred J. Ferro, an industrial real estate agent; Ralph A. Marchioni, a corporate executive; Tomas Miranda, a youth supervisor; and Barbara Tweedy Patten, an educator.