CHALLENGERS LEAD SCHOOL RACES.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

Challengers led incumbents Tuesday in early returns of some Santa Clarita Valley school races.

A combined 11 seats were contested in elections across the valley. Voters were asked to select trustees in the Santa Clarita Community College District, the William S. Hart Union High School District, and the Castaic and Saugus school districts.

Early returns showed challengers Gregory Ferrier and Wendy Gingrich in the Castaic district; Jonathan Myl and Gary Murr in Saugus; Gloria Mercado in the Hart district; and Ernie Tichenor in the college district among the top vote-getters, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's Office.

Also vying for three seats on the Castaic board were incumbents Nora Emmons and Irene Massey, and challenger Carl Seel.

Also competing for three seats on the Saugus board were incumbents Douglas Bryce and Judy Umeck. Another incumbent, Eileen Connolly, didn't have to run because she was the only candidate to seek election to an unexpired two-year term on the Saugus board.

Also seeking three seats on the Hart district board were incumbents Bill Dinsenbacher and Patricia Hanrion, and challenger Dennis King. The Hart district has 14,000 students at its four junior highs and four high schools.

Two seats on the college district board of trustees were in contention. Tichenor led Richard Peoples and incumbent John Hoskinson in the race for one seat, while incumbent Joan MacGregor ran unopposed for the other seat.

Peoples, 62, served 13 years as a trustee for College of the Canyons before being voted out of office in 1995. Tichenor, 41, a part-time political science instructor at College of the Canyons, was endorsed by Hoskinson, who dropped out of the race but whose name remained on the ballot anyway.