2 Incumbents Will Leave School Board : Education: A third longtime trustee expects to decide by year’s end whether to run again.

Two of the three Glendale school board members whose terms expire next April have decided against seeking reelection, creating an early stir of interest in the race that has already attracted six probable candidates.

Board of Education President June F. Sweetnam announced last week that she will not seek a fifth term, saying she wants to spend more time with her family.

Board member Charles E. Whitesell said he had decided in July that he will not run for a third term.

The April 6 election will be the first in more than a decade with at least two incumbents vacating their positions. A third opening could occur if Jane M. Whitaker decides not to seek a fourth term. She said she expects to decide by the end of the year.

Those who have already announced plans to enter the race are: Al Forthmann, principal of Adams Middle School in Redondo Beach; Jeanne Bentley, a former Crescenta Valley High School counselor; Lynda Rocamora, a community volunteer; Deborah Bentley, Glendale College professor; Peter Musurlian, aide to Rep. Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale), and John Gantus, an attorney. Musurlian ran unsuccessfully for the board in 1990, finishing fourth in a race for two seats.

Sweetnam and Whitesell were among the three board members targeted this year in an unsuccessful recall petition drive by parents who were upset with the board’s budget decisions.

Along with Blanch M. Greenwood, they raised the ire of parents, students and staff in June, voting to approve cuts of $6.3 million including educational programs. Whitaker and Sharon R. Beauchamp cast the opposing votes, arguing that student programs could have been saved by reducing the salaries of district staff.

Although the petition drive fell short of the number of signatures required to hold a recall election, Whitesell said he was influenced by the attempt.

“The acrimony helped me make my decision,” he said, adding that he also wanted to devote more time to his legal practice.

Sweetnam, however, said her decision had nothing to do with the budget crisis. “Sixteen years has been long enough,” she said. “I felt like I had accomplished everything I set out to.”

During Sweetnam’s tenure, the district has experienced dramatic changes. Since 1976, district enrollment has grown from 23,111 students to about 28,000. Many of the new pupils have come from different parts of the world and are not native English speakers.

“So many different cultures we have adapted to,” she said. “You can count 63 languages spoken in our schools. When I started, there were just a few.”

The district has secured an array of federal grants to assist its culturally diverse student body since Sweetnam joined the board. Emergency funding for immigrants and bilingual programs has increased steadily.

“She’s a staunch supporter of innovation and change,” said Alice Petrossian, director of special projects and intercultural education.

The 66-year-old board president attended public schools in San Francisco and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in American history. Before her election to the board in 1976, Sweetnam was a PTA member of Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School. Her five children have attended Glendale schools, and she has been active in community groups for more than 30 years.

One of her most trying years came in 1980 when she voted to cut the sixth period from junior high schools to help balance the district budget. This year’s cuts were even more severe, but Sweetnam said she is confident that the decision was right.

“I’m proud of the financial position we’re in,” she said.

As part of her accomplishments, Sweetnam touted the Glendale Schools 2000 Project recommendations she helped pass last year. Under the wide-ranging school reform plan, the board now has a non-voting student member.