School District Chooses One of Own for Top Job

The Montebello Unified School District chose a home-grown administrator Tuesday night to lead the school system back from near-bankruptcy.

Darline Robles, 42, became schools superintendent on a 5-0 vote of the governing board.

Robles, who had been acting superintendent, won board approval over a field of more than 20 candidates from across the country. Robles, who is bilingual, rose through the district’s ranks as a teacher, principal and administrator.

Robles presided this year over $28 million in cuts to the district’s $101.5-million budget and over layoffs of about 200 employees, most of them teachers.

The district faces another $12 million in cuts for the 1992-93 school year.