The greatest compliment Santa Maria-Bonita School District Superintendent Phil Alvarado can receive is reassurance that he hasn’t really changed over the years.
As the longest-serving sitting superintendent in northern Santa Barbara County, Alvarado has seen as much change as anyone, which is why remaining the same level-headed, likable school leader after four years at the helm is so important to him.
“That is something that I strive for,” Alvarado told Noozhawk. “Thirty-six years in, 59 years of age, I still have a ton of energy.”
Born and raised in Santa Maria, Alvarado has watched his hometown swell from a population of 40,000 to more than 100,000.
His affinity for the status quo is even more ironic considering Alvarado is head of a district experiencing such a transformation.
In Alvarado’s office on a recent afternoon, he pointed to 19 framed school T-shirt designs on his wall that represent Santa Maria-Bonita’s 15 elementary and four junior high schools serving more than 14,400 students.
He said the district, which is heading into its 15th consecutive year of enrollment growth, is expecting 300 to 400 more students this fall. The district has broken ground for construction of a 16th elementary school — to open in fall 2015 — and will need to build two more schools in the coming years to keep up.
“We’re the oddity in the county,” Alvarado said. “We are a true growth district. Right now, we’re looking at potential (school) sites. Santa Maria is growing. The core of Santa Maria is still very family-unit driven. That, to me, is extremely helpful. I don’t want to live outside of town. I don’t want to lose that connection.”
Alvarado said he truly believes he’s working for the best students and families around. The district’s distinctive demographics create a population of about 90 percent Hispanic students, with a host of English-language learners.
The superintendent has been working with these students since he became a bilingual teacher’s aide after graduating from Santa Maria High School in 1973.
After attending Allan Hancock College and spending a brief stint at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara studying photography — and with urging from mentors in the education profession — Alvarado got his teaching credential at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
He returned to Santa Maria in 1977 as a teacher at Oakley Elementary, and also taught various grades at Fairlawn, Robert Bruce and Miller elementary schools before moving up the ranks. He earned the superintendent post in January 2009.
“From day one, getting into the classroom felt so natural,” Alvarado said. “I’ve never really had career goals. That’s why I feel so blessed.”
Alvarado met his wife of 33 years, Cindy, while he was an eighth-grader at El Camino Junior High. They have two grown daughters and are new grandparents.
In what little free time Alvarado has, those in the Santa Maria Valley might also find him blowing off steam as lead vocals in Freight Train, a local classic rock-and-roll band.
Even with the changes that lay ahead — common core standards, a possible bond measure and hiring 52 new teachers among them — Alvarado said he is up for the challenge.
“It’s been a wonderful, wonderful career to date,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like work. I think there’s a lot of value in having a superintendent that knows the community, knows the kids.
“We have to be ready to run this race with fresh legs.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.