LOCAL ELECTIONS / COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD : Primrose Heads for Win Over Incumbent : She is ahead in Trustee Area 3. Challenger holds slim lead over incumbent in Trustee Area 1, and a 16-year board veteran leads a close race in Trustee Area 4.

Two challengers to incumbents in three county Board of Education races were leading late Tuesday night, with one--teacher Joan S. Primrose--apparently headed for victory. The third incumbent was leading in his contest.

With close to half the precincts reporting, Primrose appeared likely to oust eight-year incumbent Francis X. Hoffman. Federal immigration agent Felix Rocha Jr. held a slim lead over incumbent Roger W. Belgen, who was appointed to the seat last year. Incumbent Dean McCormick maintained the front spot over two challengers.

Primrose, 63, who has taught in Anaheim and Garden Grove schools for 24 years, was ahead in Trustee Area 3, which covers all or parts of the Buena Park, Centralia, Magnolia, Anaheim and Orange school districts. Hoffman and challenger Arlene Z. Sontag were in a virtual dead heat, followed by Curtis E. Smith.

In Trustee Area 1, which covers parts of Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Fountain Valley, Belgen closely trailed Rocha. Richard F. Avard was running third.

McCormick, a 16-year board veteran, was leading a close race in Trustee Area 4, which covers regions in the north, east and south of the county. Challenger Todd Henry--a 27-year-old newcomer--held the second-place spot, followed by attorney James Aynes.

Three of the five public seats were up for reelection. The board administers a wide range of special programs in schools, such as outdoor education and classes for the severely disabled.

Rocha, an Immigration and Naturalization Service agent, based his campaign on getting board members more involved in the local school districts. Avard, a businessman, advocated cutting the board’s bureaucracy and overhauling the county’s bilingual education program.

Belgen, who served on the Fountain Valley school board for 18 years, said his priorities were a traditional school curriculum of math, social studies, reading, science and the arts.

Primrose has highlighted the need to equalize state spending on schools and to set firm rules for straying youth. Sontag emphasized her experience as an administrator, and Smith launched a pointed attack on Hoffman, labeling him a “do-nothing” who has watched the Department of Education’s budget soar past $70 million.

Hoffman defended his tenure, saying he was often the lone voice opposing proposed budgets that were unnecessarily fat.

In Trustee Area 4, McCormick faced Aynes, a lawyer and Scoutmaster who focused on the need to channel more state funds to students and less to administrators, and Henry, a businessman who hoped to increase community input into board decisions.