ELECTIONS / THOUSAND OAKS SCHOOL BOARD : 10 Candidates See Safety, Technology and Money as Key Issues in Race

Improved school safety, increased technology and money are the key issues for all 10 candidates seeking three open seats on the Thousand Oaks school board this year.

Two incumbents and eight challengers agree that safety should be improved at the Conejo Valley Unified School District’s 27 campuses, and they say the use of technology should be expanded in classrooms.

Although the district’s $72-million budget is balanced, candidates also agree that board members must keep a watchful eye on the budget to avoid future salary reductions or layoffs.

“I think the biggest problem in this election is that we agree on everything,” said candidate Robin Cohen Westmiller, one of the eight challengers.

Cheryl Heitmann, Elaine McKearn, Elroi Reimnitz, Charles Rittenburg, Barbara Sponsler, Ellyn Wilkins and Susan Witting are also challengers in the largest school board race in Ventura County this year.

Describing the current five-member board as weak and closed to parent feedback, some challengers say their main goal is to oust the two incumbents--Mildred Lynch and Richard Newman. The third available seat belonged to William Henry, Jr., who resigned in June.

“I think with every public body, new people bring new ideas and generate enthusiasm,” said Heitmann, 49, a family counselor.

Some of the ideas suggested by candidates include seeking government grants to fund school programs and televising board meetings to reach more families.

Heitmann said she wants to develop a comprehensive plan on how to expand the use of technology in Conejo Valley schools.

Westmiller, 40, owner of a paper supply store, suggests teaching children self-defense techniques in their physical education classes to protect youngsters from violent crime.

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McKearn, a 51-year-old homemaker, wants to increase parent involvement and make schools more “family friendly” by adding parent aides in classrooms.

But some candidates say the district simply needs strong leadership--not new programs--to maintain the high quality of education in Thousand Oaks’ schools. About 80% of the district’s graduates go to college, and students have consistently outscored their peers in other districts on standardized tests.

“I don’t see any real leadership from the superintendent or the board,” said Wilkins, 47, an insurance saleswoman and former Thousand Oaks school board member for six years.

Candidates also say school leaders must find new and creative ways to confront issues like budget cuts by seeking funds from businesses and lobbying Sacramento for more money.

Witting, a 36-year-old attorney, said trustees must reach out to the community and consistently seek change for the better. “You can’t just sit on your laurels,” she said.

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One area where challengers and incumbents disagree is on the issue of parent involvement. The eight contenders have criticized the board for not listening to parent concerns, but Lynch and Newman say that claim is unfair.

“It seems like people are having to fight for what is their right,” said Sponsler, 49, a bank customer service representative. “There needs to be some interaction with the parents and the board.”

Reimnitz, 46, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, decided to run for the school board after watching the trustees ignore parents’ concerns over the California Learning Assessment System test, he said.

“If you represent the parents, you have to listen to their concerns,” he said.

A 43-year-old engineer for Northrup Grumman, Rittenburg said he decided to run for the school board out of frustration with current trustees.

“Our board and our district have a terrible reputation for not listening to the public,” Rittenburg said. “I think all the candidates recognize the need to re-establish community trust.”

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But incumbents Lynch and Newman said the current board has listened to parents and shown strong leadership skills.

“I think this district has been cited for its response to parent direction,” said Newman, 66, a retired Simi Valley Police lieutenant who has served on the board since 1989. “I am very satisfied that the district is a great district.”

A trustee for nine years and a teacher for 35 years, Lynch, 77, testified before state legislators about the CLAS test--an act she said shows she has not neglected parents’ concerns.

“I would not say the board has been indifferent,” she said. “I think it has been effective. We pushed hard on curriculum and new buildings and repairs.”

Lynch said parents should be involved in education by knowing what their children are learning: “I want them to see what they are doing--what their kids are reading and what they are writing.”

One aspect of the campaign challengers and incumbents agree on is the difficulty they are all having in getting noticed by east county voters.

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With 10 people running for the school board and 16 candidates running for the City Council, candidates say they are struggling for name recognition.

“There are so many candidates it makes it difficult for people to distinguish from them all,” Witting said.

Additionally, this is the first year the Thousand Oaks’ school board election has coincided with the general election, a change that candidates say has resulted in their names getting lost amid the more high-profile county and congressional races.

The board voted a few years ago to move the election to cut costs and tap into a larger voter pool.

“The school board race is lost in the shuffle,” Wilkins said. “We are doing everything we can to let people know we are out there.”

Some candidates are spending thousands of dollars to stand out among the throng of candidates. Heitmann, for example, said she expects to spend close to $9,000 on her campaign. “We are low ballot here,” she said. “You have to be out there in the community.”

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But other candidates say they refuse to take campaign contributions, and are unwilling to spend vast amounts of money on signs, flyers, buttons and other election paraphernalia.

Westmiller said she has spent less than $50 on her campaign, and McKearn made her election signs out of damaged boards from a local hardware store.

Some candidates say their signs have been stolen, and Witting had about 15 of her signs vandalized recently when somebody scrawled satanic symbols on them in red paint.

Rittenburg, who ran for the board in 1989, said he has noticed a tremendous difference between this election and the one five years ago.

“In 1989, we had quiet forums, it was very small town,” he said. But this year: “You get a sense of a big city election.”