ELECTIONS / ANTELOPE VALLEY SCHOOLS : Discontent Could Heat Up Major Contest : Boards: The choice is between incumbents and outsiders who often have rival views. Nearly 100,000 people can cast ballots but only 10% to 15% are expected to do so.

A potentially pivotal contest that could shift the leadership of the Antelope Valley high school board highlights the region’s four biggest school district elections next week.

Amid discontent over busing cutbacks, locker removals and a new dress code for teachers, two incumbents and seven challengers are vying for three seats on the five-member governing board of the Antelope Valley Union High School District on Nov. 5.

The election offers a choice between incumbents and outsiders often with rival views. Nearly 100,000 people, all registered voters in the Los Angeles County portion of the valley, can cast ballots.

In addition, voters in a slightly larger area will elect two board members for the Antelope Valley Community College District. And smaller contests will decide two school board seats in both the Lancaster and Palmdale school districts, which have only elementary and middle school campuses.

Turnout is expected to be low--between 10% and 15%, based on past Antelope Valley elections that had no municipal, state or federal contests.

The races in the four school districts have been quiet so far, although the high school contests will likely gather more attention this week.

Encompassing more than 1,600 square miles, the Antelope Valley’s high school district covers the largest territory of any non-college public school district in Los Angeles County. This year, it serves 12,260 students who come from nine different elementary-middle school districts.

The district actually has two races in the upcoming election: One incumbent and five challengers are competing for two four-year terms on the school board. And one appointed incumbent faces two contenders for a two-year term in a separate contest.

The election is potentially spicy because the teachers association is angry at the present school board, claiming that the district has been autocratically run. The teachers union claims that the board has not solicited advice from teachers, parents or students before making decisions.

The union has filed an unfair labor complaint against the district for imposing a teacher dress code this fall.

In addition, some parents are angry over a recent district decision to cut back on busing services, and a decision by the board in February, 1990, to remove most of the district’s student lockers. School board members said they made the changes mainly to save money.

Also, there may be lingering doubts among voters over the residency status of Bob McMullen, the incumbent seeking the two-year term. For nearly a year after his July, 1990, appointment by the school board, McMullen spent most of his time at his house 230 miles away in Cambria.

McMullen moved there after serving on the board from 1977 to 1989. But in 1990, the school board appointed him to fill a vacancy instead of holding an election. This year, records show that McMullen sold the Cambria house in July. But it is not clear where McMullen and his wife now live.

He is registered to vote at a friend’s house in Lancaster and his mailing address is a Lancaster mail center. District Supt. Kenneth Brummel said Friday that he could not say where McMullen resides. McMullen did not return messages left at the school district’s office Thursday and Friday.

One candidate running against McMullen is Charles Whiteside, Antelope Valley College director of human resources. He is the only candidate endorsed by the district’s main teachers group.

The other contender is Nolan Negaard, a former Palmdale High School teacher who retired after more than 20 years with the district. Negaard is also an elected board member of the Palmdale Water District.

In the other race, two seats are being sought by 20-year incumbent Wilda Andrejcik, who wants a sixth term, and five other candidates. Three candidates are particularly well known in the district, which runs five high schools and a continuation school.

One is Bill Olenick, a former high school board member and a county deputy probation officer. He drew the most votes in his 1985 school board election, but was defeated in 1989 after his wife publicly accused him of striking her. However, she recanted the accusation after the election and they are now divorced.

Olenick has complained that the board has been too slow to recognize problems in the district such as increasing gang troubles.

Another candidate is Billy Pricer, a former sheriff’s deputy who heads a private anti-gang organization, United Community Action Network. Pricer’s candidacy comes after the school board rejected his plan for a voluntary program to reward high school students who agree to random drug testing.

The third well-known candidate is Sue Stokka, a former Wilsona School District board member who led an unsuccessful drive to expand the elementary school district to include high school education and break away from the Antelope Valley district. She has argued that remote residents are not well served.

The other candidates are Keith Davis, a retired county probation officer, and James Hutchins, an aerospace engineer. Incumbent Jarold Wright chose not to run after 24 years in office.

The district has a $49.1-million budget. Board members receive a $400-a-month salary plus a $600-a-month health insurance benefit.

In the Antelope Valley Community College District, three candidates, including two incumbents, are vying for two seats. The college serves nearly 10,500 students on its 125-acre Lancaster campus.

Donald Ross, a 24-year incumbent, is a retired executive from the rocket propulsion lab at Edwards Air Force Base. Earl Wilson, a 16-year incumbent, is a former state Assembly candidate who owns an engineering firm. And Felix LeMarinel was a North Orange County Community College District board member from 1965 to 1988. LeMarinel ran unsuccessfully in 1989 for the Antelope Valley college board.

The Antelope Valley district, with a $20.4-million budget, serves a 1,945-square-mile area in Los Angeles County and part of Kern County. Board members are eligible for a $240-a-month salary plus $500 a month in health coverage.

The district has 102,934 registered voters.

In the 83-square-mile Lancaster School District, four newcomers are running for two seats. Incumbents William Taylor and Frank Astourian did not file for reelection, the latter because of health problems. A fifth person on the ballot, teacher Martina Grable, has withdrawn.

The candidates are Val Holt, a leader in a parent-teacher group and member of the district’s budget advisory committee last year; James Jeffra, a county sheriff’s deputy who staffs the anti-drug program in the district’s schools; Barbara McDonald, a school volunteer and former aide, and Andy Visokey, a Northrop Corp. worker and a parent-teacher group organization member.

Lancaster has 11,825 students, 14 schools and a $43.5-million budget. Board members are eligible for $400 a month plus insurance coverage. The district has 35,678 registered voters.

In the Palmdale School District, veteran incumbent Larry Ott, two-year incumbent Sheldon Epstein and Helen Acosta are competing for two board seats. Ott owns a florist shop, Epstein is a former district teacher who works for the county’s Juvenile Court and Community Schools program, and Acosta is a drapery store owner.

The Palmdale race has been quiet. The district has 14,564 students, the most in the Antelope Valley; 17 campuses, a $55-million budget and covers about 72 square miles. Board members get $400 a month plus a similar added amount for insurance coverage. The district has 27,597 registered voters.