Schools chief to step down

Angelique Flores

After 20 years of serving the Huntington Beach City School District,

Supt. Duane Dishno is ready to hang up his hat as administrator and just

be a good grandfather.

Dishno announced his intent to retire on July 1 at the district’s

board meeting Tuesday night.

“It’s a time for transitions,” Dishno said. “I want to be a good

grandfather and spend time with my wife.”Dishno had always planned to

retire right before he turned 60.

“There’s a correlation with how long you work and how long you live,”

Dishno joked.

The 59-year-old is looking forward to his first grandson, whose

delivery is expected next week.

“My head says this is the right thing to do, but my heart makes it

difficult,” Dishno said. “I love this community.”

After getting his college degree from Eastern Washington University,

not too far from where he grew up in Missoula, Mont., Dishno headed to

California to begin his teaching career. He later earned his master’s

degree from Cal State Long Beach and his doctorate from the University of

La Verne.

Dishno started as a teacher in Westminster in 1963 and advanced to

principal in 1975. He went into district-level administration two years

later.

“I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything else, but teach,” Dishno

said.

Dishno’s first job in the Huntington Beach City School District was as

a principal at Smith Elementary School in 1975.

Although involved in educational administration for 25 years, he left

teaching begrudgingly to have a greater impact on a greater number of

kids. He served as director of special eduction and then as assistant

superintendent in the Huntington Beach district.

Dishno left the district in 1984 to take a superintendent position at

the El Monte City School District near Los Angeles. He left after four

years and went to the Bonita Unified School District in La Verne in 1988.

In 1991, he landed the job as the Huntington Beach City School

District superintendent for his second stint, and has spent almost 20

years with the district in total.

“It was like a dream coming back,” he recalls.

Trustee Brian Garland said that he has never regretted the decision to

bring Dishno back to the district.

“You always kept your eye out on what’s best for the children,”

Garland said.

Dishno says he’s been happiest while working in Huntington Beach, and

feels good about the state he is leaving the district of 6,900 students

in.

With Dishno at the helm, the district’s first new school in 25 years

-- Huntington Seacliff Elementary -- was built. Class sizes have been

reduced and 2,000 students have been added. All the teachers are fully

credentialed, and the district has maintained financial stability.

“The distance you’ve taken us has been great,” said trustee Shirley

Carey to Dishno after his announcement.

The Huntington Beach superintendent prides himself on the close-knit

ties among the district’s employees, and says he’ll miss his staff and

the kids the most.

“We are a family in this district,” he said. “It has all been good

times, and my career has been a blessing.”

Dishno plans on doing “family stuff” first, and is looking forward to

his grandson and the wedding of his younger son in August.

Later on, he plans to travel and study, taking classes on subjects he

enjoys like literature, history and tax accounting.

“I don’t anticipate any problem in trying to fill my time in a very

meaningful way,” Dishno said.

With no plans to move out of Surf City, he does, however, want to see

other parts of the country with his wife, who will begin retired life

with him.

Dishno says he’ll miss the district as much as the community will miss

him.

“I anticipate a line a mile long of people who would like to come

here,” he said.