Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Castaic District Chooses New Superintendent : Education: Trustees select Lancaster administrator Alan K. Nishino to lead 1,700-student system.

Trustees with the Castaic Union School District on Friday chose an assistant superintendent from an Antelope Valley school district as their top administrator.

Alan K. Nishino, 48, was picked from a field of 25 candidates and is scheduled to begin a three-year contract with the Castaic district April 1.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the district and community,” said Nishino, currently with Lancaster’s Eastside Union School District. “I’m looking forward to having a good relationship with the kids.”

Nishino has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal State Long Beach, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from USC. His 26-year career in education began when he worked as an instructor for Fleming Junior High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Trustees approved Nishino’s contract by a 5-0 vote Friday. They cited his knowledge of curriculum and his experience with technology, which is considered important as the 1,700-student district builds a new junior high school.

“There aren’t too many administrators that are strong in both,” said Trustee Lester Freeman. “(Castaic parents) want our children to be ready technologically for the 21st Century.”

Curriculum became a campaign issue in the months before the district’s November, 1993, election.

Some parents and candidates, led by then-incumbent Gloria Mercado, said a weak curriculum had led to poor scores on proficiency tests in recent years. Others--including current Trustees Nora Emmons, Dirk Gosda and Irene Massey--defended student performances, saying test scores were improving each year.

Nishino’s contract will pay $80,000 for the 1995-1996 fiscal year, with $2,000 raises in each of the next two years. The new contract is comparable in salary to the $84,000 paid to Castaic’s last superintendent, but eliminates a district-leased automobile.

Freeman said he is excited that the board successfully hired an experienced administrator, while trimming what was previously paid for the post.

“We basically lowered the salary by $10,000,” Freeman said. “We did what they said couldn’t be done.”

The post has been open since Supt. Scott Brown departed in June to accept an equivalent position in the San Francisco Bay Area. District officials hope Nishino’s tenure will be calmer than that of Brown.

In mid-1993, Brown was criticized for his use of a district credit card for personal items. The charges--which Brown later repaid--included travel expenses, hotel stays, car rentals and gifts. School officials said Brown’s use of the credit card was in poor judgment, although not illegal, and later canceled the card.