CONSERVATIVE SCHOOL TRUSTEES TOUT SUCCESSES : CHANGES FEWER THAN VOTERS HOPED, FEARED.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

A year after the election of four school board candidates who signed a ``Contract With Antelope Valley Families,'' the impact on public education has been far from the radical restructuring that conservatives anticipated and liberals feared.

The four trustees in three Antelope Valley school districts say they have achieved some goals, such as banning an AIDS support group from high school campuses, and made progress on others, such as introducing uniforms at certain schools. They say they also have hit some roadblocks in lack of time or opportunity, in federal law and in opposition from other trustees.

``I would say the overall record is very good,'' said Kevin Carney, a Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant elected to the Antelope Valley Union High School District board after signing the nine-point manifesto. ``The nine goals are nothing more than my core beliefs. I temper everything I do with those core beliefs in mind.''

Patterned after what the House Republicans called their ``Contract With America'' in 1994, the local trustees' contract contained pledges to oppose teaching about homosexuality or revisionist versions of history and to support school uniforms and a moment of silence at the start of each school day.

Other goals included declaring an American Patriotism and Heritage Month, wresting more local controls for school districts from state and federal governments, and returning to teaching basic skills.

``If we could institute every one of these things tomorrow, we would, but hey, we gotta have three votes (on each board). I'm one out of five,'' Palmdale School District trustee Larry Logsdon said. ``One year is too short. The first year for any board member is a year of learning. They do what they can.''

Seven conservative candidates in four school board races signed the manifesto. Four were elected: Carney in the Antelope Valley Union High School District; Logsdon in the Palmdale School District; and Mel Kleven and Andy Visokey at the Lancaster School District.

When they issued the document, some campaign opponents described it as political rhetoric focusing on fringe issues rather than on education.

Bob Turner, a Saugus High School teacher who finished third in the race for two seats in the high school district, said the document was evidence that the radical right was trying to bring down public education.

Since the election, Turner said, Carney and fellow conservative Sue Stokka have been hindered by the death of Tony Welch and his replacement on the board by billboard company executive Steven Landaker, who has at times provided crucial swing votes against them.

``Some damage has been done, but damage is at a minimum,'' Turner said. ``As far as the high school district, I think they've had limited success. Have they done permanent damage? No, but they've tried.''

Even with a majority of three conservative trustees at Lancaster, Visokey describes work on implementing the contract as starting slowly.

``I think that, on the prevention part, we did a fairly good job. It's slow because not much has come up,'' Visokey said. ``Almost all the stuff is preventive. We just simply haven't had to deal with it.''

Kleven has an upbeat assessment. ``We can't hit them all at one time, as a practical matter,'' Kleven said. ``Over the next year, in one way or another, we will see each addressed by resolution or board policy. These things haven't gone away.''

Carney said the banning of the AIDS support group sponsored by the Catalyst Foundation was one way of keeping the ``homosexual agenda'' off campus. Others say the issue has not arisen for them.

``It's not an action item to be taken. It's an avoidance thing against teaching about homosexuality,'' Visokey said.

The moment-of-silence proposal has not been brought up for a vote by any of the contract signers.

Carney acknowledges he probably could not get a majority on the high school board to support it.

``I can only do so much at one time,'' Carney said. ``We're progressing. The school district is moving ahead. We take these items one at a time. Right now, I don't have votes for it.''

While a signer of the contract, Logsdon said he has a different view of the moment of silence - seeing it not as a daily ritual but for use when appropriate.

``I exemplified that when I swore in. I had my minister there, and he called for a moment of silence,'' Logsdon said. ``At appropriate times, you can call for a moment of silence at board meetings. I don't believe in having a mandatory, everyday moment of silence. It's available if you would like to use it.''

At the urging of trustees, the high schools all adopted stricter dress codes, but Lancaster High School remains the only one with a uniform. In schools for younger students, only one, New Vista Middle School in Lancaster, has adopted uniforms since the election.

Carney said he prefers school uniforms, but state law assigns the decision to each school.

In Palmdale, Logsdon said he lacks the votes for a policy requiring uniforms.

``What I found with the board is that they like it coming from the community, from the bottom up, vs. from the top down,'' Logsdon said. ``I personally would like to see it from the top down, but I don't have three votes to do it.''

So Logsdon is attempting to introduce uniforms at individual schools, starting with Yucca School, where parents have indicated support.