ELECTIONS SCHOOL BOARD : 15 Candidates Battle for 2 Open Seats in Ventura

In the most crowded field for a Ventura school board race in 20 years, 15 candidates are seeking two seats in the Nov. 5 election.

Two years ago, seven candidates ran for three seats in the Ventura Unified School District.

This time, a myriad of issues, including a controversial proposal to redraw school boundaries in the 15,000-student district, has drawn more than twice as many contenders for only two seats. They range from a Ventura City Council gadfly to retired educators to a former school board member.

Around Ventura County, 43 candidates, including the 15 Ventura Unified contenders, are seeking school board seats in six school districts and on the county Board of Education.

Among the biggest issues facing all districts is the continuing struggle to maintain the same level of educational programs under continuing budget restraints. In addition, several districts, including Oak Park Unified, are grappling with the issue of finding space for growing numbers of students.

In the Ocean View Elementary School District, where candidates have not faced opposition since 1975, no election is scheduled this year for the two available seats. Incumbents Elizabeth Orick, a bank loan officer, and Dennis Schlotfelt, an account executive, are unopposed.

In Ventura, the two new members may join the board in time to vote on the controversial redistricting plan, perhaps sometime in January. A committee of more than 60 community members is studying the plan, and although the board had requested a recommendation by November, a date for a final recommendation is uncertain because some committee members have said they need more time.

New board members will be sworn in on Dec. 17 at the board’s last meeting this year.

Some Ventura teachers and candidates also claim that morale is low in the district; as evidence, they site the exodus of several mid-level administrators who have left for jobs in other districts. Some of those administrators have been replaced by people hired from outside Ventura, and several candidates and union officials said that has contributed to the low morale.

Also, Ventura teachers are unhappy over recent extensions of Supt. Cesare Caldarelli Jr.’s three-year contract.

For two years, the Ventura Unified Education Assn. has sought unsuccessfully to change the board’s practice of granting annual one-year extensions of Caldarelli’s contract. In May, 1990, teachers had given Caldarelli a vote of no confidence, citing criticism of his management and communication skills.

This year, for the first time in many years, the union has made political endorsements and is campaigning on behalf of two candidates, one of whom is opposed to long-term contracts for administrators.

Despite the low morale among teachers, union President John Gennaro said their campaigning efforts are not intended to oust Caldarelli.

After interviews with most of the candidates, the teachers’ association endorsed retired Ventura teacher Diane Harriman and mortuary manager Jim Wells.

Other Ventura candidates are Judy Alexandre, a family counselor, businesswoman and former school board member; banker Robert J. Alviani; business owner Denise Beck; retired Ventura teacher Roger E. Davis, Jr.; business owner Kim Lockwood; salesman Charles Mohr; homemaker Julie Murillo; insurance salesman Jan M. Neveu; school administrator Cliff Rodrigues; probation officer Betty Van Order; attorney Andy H. Viets; retired teacher Charles Withers; and engineer, teacher and Ventura City Council gadfly Carroll Dean Williams.

Helen M. Spencer withdrew from the race for personal reasons, but her name will still appear on the ballot.

Growth is a major issue in the 1,975-student Oak Park Unified School District, where five candidates are vying for two board seats. As of the beginning of the school year, Oak Park was the fastest-growing district in the county, with 12.3% more students this year than last year.

Oak Park has only two elementary schools. One of them, Brookside Elementary, is approaching its student capacity, while the other, Oak Hills, is over capacity.

A 23-member community task force of parents, teachers, administrators and Oak Park residents is studying whether to build a new elementary school made entirely of portable buildings that could be placed on permanent foundations at the site of the present district offices. The district offices would be moved to another site, and would also consist of portable buildings.

The five Oak Park candidates are write-in candidate Barbara Gray, a nursing professor and free-lance journalist; business manager Thomas (Lindy) Heidt; office manager and homemaker Jan Iceland; incumbent James Kalember, a technical services manager; and business owner Wayne Sterling.

In the Fillmore Unified School District, the district’s bilingual education program is an issue facing three candidates seeking two board seats.

Some Fillmore parents have charged that the bilingual program shortchanges kindergarten and first-grade English-speaking students in classes where both Spanish and English are spoken, because they end up learning little Spanish and not developing English-language skills. The district has formed a committee to review the program and recommend possible changes to the board.

In Fillmore, challenger Nancy Marshall is facing incumbents Thomas Spitler, who is seeking his second term on the board, and F.W. (Dick) Richardson, who is running for a third term.

In the Conejo Unified School District, five people are seeking two open seats. The candidates are incumbent Dorothy Beaubien, a retired teacher in the district and a part-time college instructor; electrical engineer Dirk DeKreek; incumbent Dolores Didio; parent and homemaker Therese Hughes; and food services worker Mary Ann Kenyon, a 16-year district employee.

Three contenders are running for the two vacant seats on the board of the Rio Elementary School District. Incumbent Ernest J. Almanza, a construction supervisor, has served on the board since 1965 and is seeking a sixth term. He faces challengers Art Hernandez, a Realtor and business owner, and Terry Rothrock, an elementary school teacher.

In the Moorpark Unified School District, six candidates are facing off in the race for two seats. The challengers are parent and teacher Greg Barker; Lorraine Feuerstein, also a parent and teacher; college teacher and former city councilman Clint Harper; and financial planner David Lorenzen. They face incumbents Tom Baldwin and Cynthia Hubbard.

The Moorpark candidates will meet in a forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Moorpark Community High School auditorium.

In the county Board of Education race, six candidates are seeking two seats that have been vacated by retiring board members. The county board acts as a liaison between county school districts and Sacramento in implementing state programs, provides financial and other services to county districts and operates a number of schools for special education students, teen-aged parents and juvenile offenders.

Vying to represent Ojai in Area Three are Howard Hoover, a retired school superintendent; homemaker Wendy Larner; and Robert Ponce, a retired school administrator and former state education official.

There are also three candidates running for the county board seat to represent Area 5, which includes Oxnard and Port Hueneme. The Area 5 candidates are William D. Hill, a retired educator and former trustee of the Oxnard School District; John V. McGarry, the retired superintendent of the Rio Elementary School District; and Fred Pierce, a paralegal.