By Anneliese Duong & Reese Meister
Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) school board elections will be held with general elections on Nov. 8, 2022.
There are five current members of the HBUHSD Board of Trustees: president Bonnie Castrey, vice president Diana Carey, clerk Duane Dishno, alternate clerk Susan Henry and member Michael Simmons. This November, Castrey’s, Carey’s and Dishno’s sessions will expire, leaving three positions up for election.
All eight candidates have unique experiences and thoughts on what they can bring to the board.
Diana Carey
As a current HBUHSD Governing Board Trustee, Diana Carey is running to be re-elected because of her pride in the district’s exceptional programs and unique schools.
“The District is a leader in the field of education due to our focus on student achievement and career readiness,” Carey said. “Personally, I want to continue and enhance the high quality programs that will distinguish our District even further.”
Throughout nearly her whole professional career, Carey has been involved with various HBUHSD schools, serving as a biology and health teacher, a sports coach, the Limited English Proficient District Director and an administrator. Her daughter graduated from Ocean View High School, and her work in the district has made her familiar with common obstacles that staff and others may face frequently.
“Because I was involved, from the beginning, with Second-Language Learners, I have extensive experience with their needs and cultural concerns,” Carey said. “This is especially relevant to the Vietnamese and Hispanic communities.”
Carey, a proponent of programs like dual enrollment and career pathways, hopes to continue to expand opportunities for students. She also helped create a committee to allow teachers and administration to collaborate, and her time on fiscal oversight boards has prepared her for budgetary management.
Carey also feels passionately about the district’s recent addition of more mental health professionals, as well as its art programs. She specifically mentioned the murals at Westminster High School and productions by the district’s schools and special education performing arts program.
Outside of district work, Carey devotes a great deal of time to community service. She has been director of the Boys and Girls Club of Westminster and KIWANIS president, started a non-profit for United States Marine Corps families at Camp Pendleton, served for 13 years as vice president of the Rose Center Theater and more.
Carey has become especially involved in transportation projects, leading a successful fight against the expansion of the I-405 freeway into neighborhoods of local cities.
“These experiences make me very aware of the needs of our diverse community,” Carey said. “This involvement has given me insight into all aspects of organizational structure applicable to the function of the District.”
Carey cited declining enrollment as the “biggest and most dire” issue for the district. She explained that, for the most part, rapidly rising home prices have caused this trend as it becomes less affordable to live in the area.
“My number one priority is the development of unique programs that will attract students from outside our district,” Carey said. “I want to continue to develop innovative partnerships with universities, community colleges and the business community.”
In order to make improvements to the district, Carey aims to implement an integrated technology safety plan, revised food services and more mental health support systems. Overall, she expressed immense respect for the district and aspires to uphold its remarkable standards.
Bonnie Castrey
Bonnie Castrey is the current president of the HBUHSD Governing Board up for reelection this 2022 election cycle.
“Because we have an excellent school district, all of our schools have special programs that are going very well and I want to continue supporting that as well as looking to the future in what else we can be doing,” Castrey said.
Castrey’s involvement with HBUHSD stems deeply in the belief that education is the cornerstone of democracy. More recently, Castrey and the HBUHSD Board dealt with the COVID-19 response in an efficient manner.
“Last year, we continued with our COVID response, which was to remove students as quickly as possible and back into full classrooms,” Castrey said. “We worked with the county to continue what needed to be continued but also to remove masks as quickly as possible and go [back] to fill classroom space as opposed to separating students.”
If re-elected, Castrey hopes to continue focusing on HBUHSD schools’ programs and the arts in order to inspire young individuals to make a difference in their community.
“We have both visual and performing arts on every campus as well as the very specialized Academy for the Performing Arts (APA),” Castrey said. “In addition to that, [I’d like to] certainly [continue] the dual enrollment program, Advanced Placement programs, make sure there are sports available to every student who chooses to participate [and] encourage young women to really broaden their perspectives in terms of all the options available.”
Some of those options include new science classes like AP Computer Science that many female students are now enrolled in.
“A number of our young women have gone on to do very fine things in terms of science and technology,” Castrey said. “Our young women are just really blossoming and doing things that were not available to me when I was in school.”
Castrey has the support of the HBUHSD District Educators Association (DEA). With experience from the past term, Castrey has utilized many skills that she wishes to continue contributing as a Governing Board member.
“[I have] that ability to develop relationships, to work with different people and to bring the community together,” Castrey said. “That immediation aspect has been very helpful to me over all the years I’ve been on Board.”
Duane Dishno
Currently a member of the HBUHSD Governing Board and long-term resident of the area, Duane Dishno hopes to continue improving schools in the district.
“[I] want to be a force in supporting academic progress and expansion of support services and programs in our schools,” Dishno said. “My work is not finished.”
Dishno has been involved in local education for quite some time, whether it be as a teacher in the Westminster School District, as a principal, administrator or superintendent of the Huntington Beach City School District. He has also served as a reading specialist and assistant superintendent and has worked in both regular and special education schools.
Dishno first became involved in HBUHSD as an interim superintendent during the board’s search for a permanent replacement. He has been on the HBUHSD board since 2012 when he was first elected and is currently supported by the DEA.
Outside of local districts, Dishno has accumulated a multitude of experiences including serving as the president of the Huntington Beach Education Foundation, a retirement counselor for the California State Teachers Retirement System, a member of the Association of California School Administrators and more.
Dishno believes extensive background in education will give him an advantage in work with the district.
“My strong sense of duty and commitment to our students and staff and my personal relationships with other leadership in the larger community are assets that I can use to assist in ensuring a quality school experience,” Dishno said.
His top priorities as a board member would include maintaining stability of district finances, preparing students for future pathways, offering a variety of extracurricular programs and focusing on safety and cleanliness of schools.
After two years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Dishno feels passionately about ensuring that the district takes both students’ and teachers’ mental health needs into consideration.
“This is the first school year that feels almost ‘normal’ to me. I am concerned about students who lost two years of socialization by not being on-campus with their friends,” Dishno said.
Dishno also hopes to revive the district’s Student Advocacy Program that existed before the pandemic.
“We worked so hard to engage students in learning how to become advocates for themselves and their peers on issues they felt passionate about,” Dishno said. “I am hopeful we can give new life and spirit to this valuable program once again.”
As a board member, Dishno would honor financial contributions and community input by ensuring the district “receives the quality system it expects.” Dishno mentioned a particular pride in the board’s work to install new pools and air conditioning systems throughout the district.
“I have spent my adult life advocating for children and youth,” Dishno said. “I have a passion and interest in ensuring our students thrive and become creative, responsible, critical thinkers prepared for college, career and global citizenship.”
Christine Hernandez
Christine Hernandez, the current West Coast Program Director of the nonprofit organization Ignite International, feels that she can offer a “fresh voice” to the HBUHSD board.
Hernandez ran for the first time in 2020, when the pandemic was in full force, with the intention of building community partnerships and supporting community members. In that election, Hernandez received 13.6% of the votes. She is one of the three candidates endorsed by the HBUHSD DEA.
Hernandez has held positions such as an academic coordinator, a volunteer for parent teacher organizations and an associate dean of students. She believes that she will have a deeper understanding of issues that students may encounter, as well as the importance of education.
“As the first in my household to graduate college, it was important to me to pay it forward by supporting and advising other college students,” Hernandez said. “After over a decade of working in higher education, I made the decision to move into nonprofit work this spring in order to help share my knowledge and expertise in civic engagement.”
Now, with Ignite International, Hernandez utilizes another set of skills to help the organization run smoothly.
“Ignite is a nonpartisan organization that helps young women, particularly Gen Z, own their political power,” Hernandez said. “Part of my work includes supervising multiple levels of staff, working directly with high schools across the West Coast, and helping young people make a difference in their communities.”
Hernandez is a passionate advocate for safety and equity in the district, aware of barriers that many students encounter, especially those with disabilities or limited English proficiency. Additionally, she hopes that the election process will become more equitable through a districted voting system that will go into effect in 2024, which will ensure representation from different parts of HBUHSD.
“Education has been a long-time passion of mine and I am committed to supporting affirming, safe, and equitable school environments,” Hernandez said.
She also expressed concern over the well-being of students, teachers and staff. Having worked in education, Hernandez understands responses and management of COVID-19, including its effect on staff and students’ mental health. To increase focus on this issue, she plans to listen to voices in the community and provide support in response to the issues they bring to the board’s attention.
With experience both working in higher education and as a parent, Hernandez feels confident in her ability to lead with the board. If elected, she would promote the community’s involvement and accessibility to district matters, hoping to strengthen relationships with stakeholders in the district.
“I bring in a mixture of professional and lived experience that is currently missing from the board,” Hernandez said. “It’s time for fresh voices who can lead with empathy, can build relationships and who represent a part of our district that hasn’t seen representation.”
Saul Lankster
Saul Lankster, a current criminal justice professor since 2009 is no stranger to HBUHSD, as he’s been a part of the Huntington Beach community.
“For 33 consecutive years, I was a motivational speaker in HBUHSD. It started in 1973. I was a police officer at the time with the Compton Police Department,” Lankster said. “I was invited by a teacher who had come to my church in Compton, [who] was in her first year of teaching. I came to her classroom for 30 consecutive years.”
Lankster’s priority is establishing a multi-year contract for teachers.
“I have a passion for creating and finding order,” Lankster said. “To create stability in a school district, there needs to be a multi-year contract with the teachers so that they know that as an organization what their expectations are, their salary, how they compare with other districts and so forth.”
This is not the first time that he is running for HBUHSD Governing Board. Though he did not earn enough votes in the past to get him on Board in 2016 or 2020, he remains passionate in serving the community.
“I’m well versed and experienced with rules and order. I can work very well with other people,” Lankster said. “I can build consensus with others and I’ve had almost 14 years of experience working in a capacity of a school board member and a college board member.”
Lankster also aims for transparency within the district in order to build trust and good relationships.
“I think I can bring a great deal of communication and respect between labor and management,” Lankster said. “And bring forth a working relationship that gives the employees a sense of appreciation for what they do and in hope for the future.”
No photo available for Scott Rogers.
Scott Rogers
Scott Rogers, the only candidate who lives in Fountain Valley, hopes to bring his ideas to the district as a new board member. He currently sells computer software for mobile phones and is an active member of his community.
As the only Fountain Valley resident running, Rogers emphasizes the importance of having varying perspectives on the board. Currently, board members are elected at large, meaning that voters choose among the entire district rather than a representative from only their smaller section of the district.
“My number one goal for the election is to have representation from various parts of the school district area,” Rogers said. “The second would be to have representation from current parents that have kids in schools.”
With one daughter in eighth grade at Masuda Middle School and another as a freshman at Fountain Valley High School, Rogers deeply values the voices of parents with current students, which the board lacks as of now.
“I think at a minimum, it would be good to have two or three of the board members, if not all of them, have kids in the schools,” Rogers said. “I guess my main objective is to have participation from parents that have kids in high school.”
Rogers expressed how parents frequently interact with the schools’ facilities, which he believes increases their awareness of the learning environment of students. Parents may be more conscious of aspects of schools that need attention and repair.
Rogers has volunteered at various schools, participating in fundraising and parent teacher organization roles throughout his daughters’ educations. This year marks his fourth as treasurer at Masuda, where he manages budgeting and finances and regulates purchases for the school.
It is also Rogers’ fourth year as president of Green Valley Swim Team, a volunteer leadership position that entails managing the team and its finances. He hopes to bring this experience to the board to help resolve post-COVID financial situations.
“There’s been a lot of one-time monies that were allocated to schools during COVID for technology, for virtual learning because of COVID, for Chromebooks, for Zoom and digital textbooks, things like that,” Rogers said.
As the district spends the last of these COVID-19 funds from the state, it could become more difficult to pay for these types of resources. Rogers feels passionately about finding a solution to this issue.
“I think it’s very important that we as a community are able to figure out how we’re going to be paying for these types of resources once the state money ends,” Rogers said. “They are the type of tools that educators and students have become accustomed to, so we need to figure out how to keep those budgets in place.”
No photo available for Angela Salinardi.
Angela Salinardi
Having a son that currently attends one of the HBUHSD schools and seeing all the policies/programs that affect him, Angela Salinardi was inspired to run for Governing Board.
“I don’t like the way the last few years have gone. I feel like parents have slowly been taken out of the mix. Our reasons are not being heard,” Salinardi said. “I want to be a voice for parents on the school board. I think parents should have more of a say in the curriculum being taught. That’s the biggest reason I got involved.”
Curriculum is one of Salinardi’s biggest concerns, which she hopes to change if elected. Programs like financial literacy and budgeting, to Salinardi, are necessary for students to be successful in the real world.
“I think that seniors should be having absolutely one vocational skill that they can all do,” Salinardi said. “So when they graduate high school and choose not to go to a 4-year college, they have a way to make money if they want to enter the workforce.”
Salinardi considered other aspects as well, including communication.
“Right now, with smartphones and everything being online, kids are losing communication so I think a communication class should be required for all seniors before they graduate,” Salinardi said.
As a currently public state health practitioner and parent, she grew concerned over a student’s medical freedom, specifically for vaccine-injured kids.
“My son has had a lot of bad reactions to childhood vaccines as well. People kind of seem to overlook these things, like asthma, allergies and eczema,” Salinardi said. “I’ve been a very big advocate on parents’ right to choose whether or not a kid has vaccines.”
As a devoted HBUHSD parent, Salinardi hopes to maintain the connection between parents, teachers and students.
If it’s one thing, all candidates running for a position on the HBUHSD Governing Board hope to inspire change and maintain stability within the community. Voters may fill out a vote-by-mail ballot, go to Orange County Vote Centers or submit their ballots to ballot drop boxes.
At the time of publication, Mathew Harper did not reply to Baron Banner’s request for an interview.
