Conservative Christian Blocs Trailing

Conservative Christian candidates appeared to be failing Tuesday in bids to attain majorities on school boards ranging from Fullerton in northern Orange County to San Juan Capistrano and surrounding areas in the south.

Based on early returns, the so-called “Christian right” was taking its biggest hit in the Capistrano Unified School District, with moderates holding commanding leads in races for four seats.

Incumbent Peter J. Espinosa held a comfortable lead over conservative Christian challenger Joseph Snyder, while board president and moderate Sheila J. Benecke was cruising to victory over opponent Ralph R. Riddell.

“There are all sorts of people that are holding their breath that I win this campaign,” said incumbent Mildred Daley Pagelow, who was leading her conservative opponent, David T. Leland.

Individual conservative Christian candidates were leading in Garden Grove, Santa Ana and Fullerton, but “back-to-basics” blocs were failing in bids to gain majorities on local boards. In Garden Grove, challenger Linda Paulsen, an outspoken conservative, and moderate incumbents Kenneth H. Slimmer and Lynn Hamtil were leading in the race for three open seats. Kerri Weisenberger, Paulsen’s chief political ally, was trailing.

In Fullerton, challengers Hilda Sugarman and Kim Ann Guth were running ahead of incumbents Karen Chavez and Rosamaria Gomez-Amaro for the board that has jurisdiction over the city’s elementary schools. Guth and Chavez won the backing of the Tustin-based Education Alliance, which supported a slate of conservative Christian candidates countywide.

Public school teacher Clifford P. Berning, who advocates Bible readings and teaching creationism in public schools, was well behind his two opponents in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District race.

In the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, incumbent Marcia L. Birch appeared to be heading to reelection, with moderate challenger Don Sedgwick also claiming one of three open seats. Conservative Christian incumbents Frank L. Ury and Debbie Hughes were running neck-and-neck for the third slot.

In the Santa Ana Unified School District, incumbent Rosemarie Avila--campaigning under the same conservative, back-to-basics banner--was leading in the race for three open seats, while two of her like-minded colleagues, Helen Fabian and Debbie Stephens, were trailing.

In one other Santa Ana race--for a two-year term made vacant by an incumbent’s resignation--conservative Christian Avila colleague Debra K. O’Donnell was trailing Aida Espinoza.

Throughout the county, school board races were unified in bringing together passionate philosophical debates and widely divergent blocs.

Support for private-school vouchers and a “back-to-basics” curriculum highlighted--and in some cases, inflamed--the rhetoric throughout the county.

In the Capistrano Unified School District, a slate of conservative, Christian candidates--bank vice president Snyder, 52; public school teacher Don Franklin Richardson, 50; certified public accountant Leland, 44; and dentist Riddell, 63--sought to gain a majority on the seven-member board.

College professor and incumbent Espinosa, 49, ran against Snyder. Incumbent Marlene Draper, 44, took on Richardson, while Leland was pitted against college professor Pagelow, 70, and retired educator John E. Smart, 61.

Leland trumpeted the back-to-basics theme, while Riddell advocated a “strong” curriculum emphasizing math and phonics. He also opposed “all tax increases,” including those that would pay for education.

The Capistrano four came under sharp attack from several community activists. In reference to the voucher campaign, for example, retiree Jack Corkery said, “Public schools admit all, the brilliant and retarded, rich and poor, the strong and the weak. Private schools select, discriminate and reject applicants, but they want vouchers funded by our public taxes to fund their private enterprises.”