ELECTIONS / SCHOOL BOARD : 16 Candidates Wage Spirited Campaign to Fill 4 Seats : Education: No pay and long hours, but it’s the largest field in recent memory. Coping with lean budgets emerges as the central theme. The vote is Nov. 5.

It’s a time-consuming job, it pays nothing, and it tends to involve making decisions that get other people angry.

Nonetheless, 16 candidates, the largest field in recent memory, are competing in a spirited school board election campaign in Beverly Hills.

Four seats on the five-member school board are up for election on Nov. 5. Eleven candidates are competing for three full terms of four years each. Five others are squaring off to fill the remaining two years of the term of retiring board member Fred Stern. Dana Tomarken is the only board member who’s post is not subject to election this year.

The candidates have been participating in a series of televised public forums, espousing their ideas and stances on controversial issues, and undergoing aggressive questioning. A central theme of the campaign has been how best to cope with lean times and ever-tightening budgets.

Several candidates go into the closing weeks of the campaign with a significant edge in name recognition, in most cases because they have held office before or have been active in educational community groups.

School board President Peggy Elliot Goldwyn is the only incumbent on the ballot. She says she hopes to help carry the past board’s policies “to fruition” as a member of the new board.

AJ Willmer, who led the unsuccessful campaign earlier this year to pass a parcel tax aimed at raising money for the school district, is well-known among parents as an active participant in the PTA and various educational committees at Horace Mann Elementary School. He has been a regular in the audience at school board meetings.

Victor Weiner is known for his work on the board of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation, which raised about $500,000 for the district last year. He was also an active PTA member at Hawthorne Elementary School.

As a former mayor of Beverly Hills, Richard A. Stone is well-known among members of the community. During his years on the City Council, he was one of the architects of a cooperative arrangement between the city and the school district that made it possible for the schools to receive substantial financial support from the city. If elected, Stone says, he hopes to expand that relationship.

Among the candidates for the two-year term, Lillian Raffel and Michael Karlin have had the broadest involvement with Beverly Hills schools. Raffel has been an active PTA member at El Rodeo Elementary School and served on educational committees there. She also has served as director of the Education Foundation.

Karlin has been a familiar figure at school board meetings. He has been a parent volunteer, member, and long-time coach and referee for after-school soccer programs.

Another two-year candidate, Trisha Roth, is well-known for her participation and leadership in numerous anti-drug and anti-alcohol programs and causes at Beverly Hills schools.

Candidates agreed to limit their campaign spending to $30,000 this year. According to campaign statements filed at the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office, as of the end of September, only one candidate--Karlin--had collected $5,000 in contributions. The next filing deadline is Oct. 24.

The candidate forums have been well-attended. But, because of the profusion of contestants, they have not been easy affairs for either audience or participants. Candidates have been rushed to compress their answers to avoid exceeding their allotted time. Just to give each candidate a three-minute opening speech took more than an hour.

Most of the questions centered on budget cuts. Because of reduced funding from the state, the district has cut about $7 million in personnel positions out of the budget since 1984. The biggest cut was last year, when 75 full-time teaching and other positions were eliminated along with a variety of educational programs.

Candidates varied on which programs they thought should be emphasized. Karlin, for example, said “going back to basics would be going back to mediocrity.”

The question of which programs should be cut, if it were necessary, proved too much for Michael B. Flesch and Lori Chapman. Both said they probably wouldn’t serve on the board in that type of situation.

“It’s too vile a thought to contemplate,” Flesch said.

Anna R. McLinn, a veteran administrator in the Los Angeles school system, was one of the few willing to tackle the question head-on, saying: “Personnel are the first to go.”

Some of the most innovative ideas had to do with how to find new sources of revenue. Flesch, for example, proposed charging a fee for classes outside of the core curriculum.

Another issue raised was the prospect of adding a new middle school to the district. Currently, elementary schools include kindergarten through eighth grade, and ninth grade starts at Beverly Hills High School. Establishment of a middle school would mean the conversion of one of the four elementary schools into a school for grades six through eight.

Only Roth openly supported the idea, with other candidates saying they needed more information and input from the community.

Admitting students who live out of city boundaries into Beverly Hills schools has been brought up frequently. Most candidates supported the programs already in place but felt students attending illegally by using false addresses should be kicked out of the district. One candidate, Phillip Scheid, opposed out-of-district students altogether.

“I just don’t think it’s fair for kids who don’t live here to go to our schools,” he said.

Candidates were also asked if they support developing under-used school property. Steve Dahlerbruch said he supported some development to save “the district’s crumbling infrastructure.”

Audience members also took the opportunity to ask questions. One asked Goldwyn why her children attend private schools, instead of Beverly Hills schools. The school board president said they “wanted to move out from the shadow of a high-profile parent.”

Another asked Roth if she had any interests other than health and substance abuse. Another challenged Willmer and Phillip A. Harris on their past involvement with Children 1st, a parent-teacher group that drew criticism from both the teachers’ union and the administration when it intervened in the 1989 teachers’ strike.

The last formal forum will begin at 1 p.m. Monday in the Roxbury Park auditorium, 471 S. Roxbury Drive. It will be sponsored by the Beverly Hills Senior Adult Club.

Because of the district’s tight finances, this year’s forums drew out “a variety of new thoughts that haven’t been discussed before,” said Dorothy Kaufman, president of the League of Women Voters of Beverly Hills.

“There are so many candidates that it is rather confusing,” she added. “But it’s wonderful that they all care.”

Candidates for the Beverly Hills School Board

Lori Chapman

Age: 58

Background: Publisher. Owns the fashion consulting firm L. C. and Co., and publishes a lifestyle magazine called L. C. and You. She has worked or volunteered for educational causes for 27 years. Directed a series of personal development seminars for students in Cleveland, Ohio, schools.

Campaign: Will seek to bring instruction to the district designed to develop children’s self-esteem.

Steve Dahlerbruch

Age: 56

Background: Sales executive. Served on school advisory committee to raise revenue. Has held titles on city goals committee, Beverly-Roxbury Homeowners Assn., Temple Akiba and Temple Emanuel.

Campaign: Urges district emphasis on preparing students to enter the University of California system. Advocates expansion of partnerships between the business community and schools, including sponsorship by corporations.

Michael B. Flesch

Age: 43

Background: Lawyer and businessman. Runs a real estate business and has two sons who will attend Beverly Hills schools.

Campaign: Advocates restoring program cuts made in recent years by charging a fee for classes outside of the core curriculum and hiring nonprofit firms to teach certain courses. Urges establishment of a merit system for teacher pay.

Peggy Elliot Goldwyn

Age: 50

Background: TV and motion picture writer. Incumbent, elected in 1987. Previously served on various PTA committees and parent volunteer groups at El Rodeo Elementary School.

Campaign: Advocates development of 10-year plan for the district to ensure that the educational needs of a changing community will be met. Seeks establishment of a telephone hot line to inform parents about class work and assignments.

Phillip A. Harris

Age: 52

Background: Business executive and scientist. Runs two pharmaceutical companies. Outgoing president of Children 1st, a teacher-parent group.

Campaign: Wants full-time fund-raiser hired for district to seek corporate sponsors and tap funds from alumni. Urges improved relationship between teachers and administrators, and extending health benefits to retired teachers over 65.

Dan Himelstein

Age: 29

Background: Businessman. Supervisor at Cutter’s restaurant in Santa Monica. Active in 1990 gubernatorial campaign of John Van de Kamp. A graduate of Beverly Hills high, he coaches baseball at the high school.

Campaign: Believes students should be involved in the board’s decision-making process. Opposes selling district land to raise money.

Walter Preston Maynard

Age: 44

Background: A radiologist, he belongs to a number of local and state medical associations. Has been active in Beverly Hills Boy Scouts of America and Little League.

Campaign: Says he was drawn into school issues by the recent budget cuts. Advocates planning for the future and learning to do more with less money.

Anna R. McLinn

Age: 50

Background: School principal. A former teacher, she has been an administrator in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 28 years and is now principal of Marvin Avenue Elementary School. Has been active in the Beverly Hills High School PTA.

Campaign: Wants to bring her extensive experience with the educational system to the board. Believes that all students should be held to high standards.

Richard A. Stone

Age: 64

Background: Accountant and attorney. Served on the Beverly Hills City Council from 1968 to 1980, including two terms as mayor. Founded the Maple Center, a community mental health clinic.

Campaign: Wants the schools to focus on the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, while emphasizing thinking skills. Suggests raising revenue for the district by imposing a school tax on developers. Believes that because schools affect real estate values and business, corporations should become more involved with the district.

Victor Weiner

Age: 42

Background: Chairman, Blake Wire and Cable Corp. Served on board of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation and was active in the Hawthorne Elementary School PTA. Was a board member of the Maple Center and Beverly Hills Senior Little League. Has been active in the Beverly Hills High School Baseball Booster Club.

Campaign: Says his first goal would be to increase the district’s reserves, which are about $40,000 below what is required by state law. Favors long-term planning, and rooting out students attending Beverly Hills schools illegally.

AJ Willmer

Age: 37

Background: Information systems consultant. Served for two years on the Horace Mann Elementary School site council and participated in a study on meeting the educational needs of students at that school. Has been active in the Horace Mann PTA, Beverly Hills PTA Council and Children 1st. Has served as volunteer in classrooms and computer lab.

Campaign: Believes schools should concentrate on preparing to meet the entrance requirements for the University of California system. Wants to expand the role of computer technology in education.

Jack Cohen

Age: 31

Background: Attorney and mathematician. Has a private practice. Active in successful 1991 campaign to block passage of school district parcel tax.

Campaign: Criticizes district for spending more more per student than comparable districts, without producing superior results on standardized achievement tests. Would focus on accountability for administrators and teachers, and emphasize basic subjects of reading, writing and math. Supports a financial relationship between the city and school district, as well as business partnerships.

Michael Karlin

Age: 39

Background: Tax attorney. Educated in Ireland and England. Specializes in international tax law. Active in the American Youth Soccer Association for 10 years. Parent volunteer and PTA member.

Campaign: Believes electives and special programs are what makes Beverly Hills schools special, and opposes efforts to “return to basics.” Believes donations from parents and business should go to specific causes or programs so people will know what they are supporting. Would expand computer courses.

Lillian Raffel

Age: 42

Background: Teacher and registered nurse, specializing in critical care. Served as a director of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation. Has been active in El Rodeo Elementary School PTA and Beverly Hills PTA Council.

Campaign: Believes reading and writing skills are the weakest links in the district’s education program. Also seeks greater emphasis on courses in computers, art and music. Recommends a crackdown on non-resident students attending the district illegally.

Trisha Roth

Age: 46

Background: Pediatrician. Teaches clinical pediatrics at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. A longtime activist in a variety of anti-substance abuse programs in the community and schools. She has been an active PTA member, parent volunteer and member of the district’s health advisory council.

Campaign: Believes children need to be healthy to be educated, and vice versa. Community health-care programs should be closely coordinated with the schools’ to avoid duplicating efforts. Supports establishment of a new middle school.

Phillip Scheid

Age: 45

Background: Business executive. Was a financial analyst for major banking firms and a corporate controller before starting his own business in real estate and finance. Has been active in the PTA, the Education Foundation and coached local sports.

Campaign: Says the desperate financial condition of the schools requires professional leadership. At school board level, the district should be run like a business. Calls for aggressive fund-raising tactics, including a greater effort to obtain donations from individuals. Urges exclusion of non-residents as students, with few exceptions.

Sources: Public candidate forums and the League of Women Voters of Beverly Hills