School Board Chooses New Superintendent

George Mannon, superintendent of the Carlsbad Unified School District, will take over the top spot in Tustin’s school district, the Board of Education decided Monday.

Mannon, 46, was chosen from 20 candidates competing to succeed David Andrews, who left the Tustin Unified School District in January after 5 1/2 years. Ed Dundon, a retired administrator from Garden Grove, has served in the position for the past four months.

Board members voted 5 to 0 Monday to hire Mannon, who will begin his job July 15. The job pays $117,500 a year.

“All of us thought he would fit into the district quite well,” Board President Jane Bauer said. “He has a reputation as a good communicator . . . and for running the [Carlsbad] district in a businesslike fashion.”

Bauer said the panel also was impressed by Mannon’s efforts to include teachers, administrators, union workers, parents and students on advisory committees.

“He makes an effort to be very inclusive,” Bauer said.

Mannon, who has served as head of the 7,300-student Carlsbad district for three years, said he plans to reach out to groups in Tustin, which has 13,500 students in its public school district.

“One of the things I like to do is spend some time listening to people, meeting parents, teachers and students,” Mannon said Tuesday.

“I’ve already talked to some parents in the Tustin area, and many of them want to be involved with the school district,” he said. “I’m very encouraged by that.”

Mannon, who holds a master’s degree in history and a doctorate degree in educational administration, began his career in 1973 as a social studies teacher in West Virginia.

From 1987 to 1993, he worked for the Phoenix, Ariz., high school district as a principal and deputy superintendent.

“I’m very enthusiastic,” Mannon said of his new position in Tustin. “I look on this as a great challenge and a chance for professional growth.”