MISSION VIEJO : 2 Trustees Team Up in School Board Races

Two incumbents on the Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board have said they plan to run a joint campaign in the November election.

The decision by trustees Dore Gilbert and Bobbee Cline may be a preemptive strike in what is being viewed as a pivotal election to control power on the board.

Two years ago, first-term trustees Debbie Hughes and Frank Ury teamed together and were elected, altering the board’s complexion.

Gilbert and Cline, who hold the two seats up for election, and first-term trustee Marcia Birch, call themselves moderate conservatives.

Hughes and Ury have been labeled by opponents as advocates for positions favored by the religious right.

Hughes and Ury dispute that characterization and say their positions are mainstream and reflect the views of their constituents.

Gilbert, the board’s president and 12-year trustee, said that he and Cline are running together because the future direction of the district is at stake. He said a shift in the board will disrupt gains made in curriculum and personnel.

“In the last election, we told people there were these stealth candidates who really didn’t say everything they believed in,” Gilbert said. “Then they got elected, and holy cow, it hits the fan.”

The board is split over a handful of issues, including the controversial California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) and school vouchers.

Cline said she and Gilbert plan to stress their records.

“We feel it’s important to keep stability in the district with experience on the board,” she said.

Cline said the decision to run a joint campaign sends a message to the “broad-based moderate-conservative groups” in the community.

“Whatever happens with the extreme groups will happen,” Cline said. “We can’t do anything about that.”