HUNTINGTON BEACH : District to Choose New Superintendent

Capping eight months of disarray and transition, the Huntington Beach City School District is expected to hire one of its former administrators as the new superintendent, officials said Friday.

The Board of Trustees has called a special meeting Monday to consider appointing Duane Dishno, superintendent of the Bonita Unified School District in La Verne, to the top administrative post.

Dishno’s contract is still being finalized, but he is expected to earn about $85,000 a year when he joins the district in June, a district official said. Former Supt. Diana Peters, who resigned last August, earned $78,492 a year.

Dishno, a Westminster resident, last worked for the Huntington Beach district between 1982 and 1984 as assistant superintendent for educational services.

If trustees approve his hiring, Dishno will return to the district in the throes of a pivotal transitional period.

Peters had three years remaining on her contract when she resigned amid controversy, citing “philosophical differences” with her former board supporters. Two of Peters’ top assistants also stepped down at the time.

Peters’ departure divided the district’s residents and employees, and threatened to cast the district into turmoil.

The district has since forged a new direction, with the hiring of a new assistant superintendent, November’s election of two new board members and the appointment of Trustee Robert Mann as board president. Many district employees and parents have lauded the new leadership, headed by interim Supt. Gary Burgner, as being more open than the previous administration.

The planned hiring of Dishno figures to continue that trend, Trustee Karen O’Bric said Friday.

“After everything we’ve been through, we were looking very much for someone who is a people person . . . who doesn’t have to prove themselves, and who has a reputation for honesty and integrity. Duane has that reputation,” O’Bric said.

Dishno, chosen from a field of 50 applicants, said during a telephone interview Friday that he hopes to continue the district’s healing process.

He added that he is happy in his current position, but was enticed by the opportunity to work closer to home. “I’ve always been involved in the community in which I’ve worked,” he said. “Now I’d like to give something back to the community in which I live.”

Dishno, 49, also said he has fond memories of his days as a principal and administrator in the Huntington Beach City School District. “They have a fine instructional program and good employees, (including) many friends and colleagues,” he said.

Before joining the district in 1975, Dishno worked as a teacher and administrator in the Westminster School District, beginning in 1962.

He left the Huntington Beach district in 1984 to become superintendent of the El Monte City School District, where he served before moving to Bonita Unified in 1988.