2 VYING TO HEAD SCHOOLS.

Byline: Paul O'Donoghue Staff Writer

MOORPARK - Interim Superintendent Frank DePasquale and the Barstow superintendent are the two finalists culled from 26 applicants to head the Moorpark Unified School District, officials said Tuesday.

DePasquale, 52, and Barstow Superintendent Glenn Massengale, 51, are undergoing final interviews with the Moorpark school board, which hopes to fill the $120,000-a-year job by the time school ends June 16.

``It's very exciting, and we've got two outstanding candidates,'' board member Mindy Yaras said.

Yaras said the board will talk next week with DePasquale's colleagues, students and district teachers in Moorpark and will conduct similar interviews in Barstow, where Massengale has been superintendent since 1997.

According to Stanley Clair, a member of the Barstow Unified School District board, Massengale has a strong work ethic and is reasonably well-regarded by parents, teachers and classified staffers. Massengale also is known, however, for his strong temper, Clair said.

``It's rare (he loses it), but that is one of the problems he knows he has, and he has worked on it and improved on that area.''

Clair said he would regret losing Massengale because the superintendent has been working hard to find money to replace the district's 70-year-old high school, which has holes in the floor and sewage problems.

Barstow Unified is similar in size to Moorpark Unified, with 6,750 students in eight elementary schools, one combination elementary-middle school, two middle schools and one high school. Moorpark's student population is 7,500.

Previously principal of Victorville High School, Massengale became assistant superintendent for personnel services in the Barstow district in 1995.

The district paid a consultant $5,000 to help recruit a Moorpark superintendent.

``We want to do a very thorough search, and it's well worth it because this is a position that obviously affects the entire school district and community,'' said Yaras.

DePasquale, 52, was the assistant to former Superintendent Tom Duffy, who left in March to work as a lobbyist in Sacramento.

DePasquale was appointed assistant superintendent in 1992 after serving as principal of Flory Elementary School in 1981-1987 and Campus Canyon Elementary in 1987-1992.