Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) has appointed new principals for Santa Barbara High School and Adams Elementary School.
Ed Gomez will be the next principal of Santa Barbara High School. Allison Quijano will lead Adams Elementary.
Gomez replaces Fred Razo, who has been SBHS principal the past two school years. Quijano replaces Kelly Fresh, who served in the role at Adams the past eight years.
“Ed Gomez has been an integral part of the SBHS community, serving as an assistant principal, and we are excited to see him continue to lead and inspire in this new capacity,” the district said.
He has been an administrator in SBUSD since 2019, having served as a dean at La Colina and La Cumbre junior highs; and as an assistant principal at Santa Barbara Community Academy (SBCA) and La Cumbre Junior High before joining the SBHS staff in 2023.
Before becoming an administrator, Gomez taught social science and physical education in secondary schools for 27 years; 20 of those years at Santa Paula High School.
“I am humbled and honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading such an iconic and historic institution,” Gomez said.
“For 150 years, Santa Barbara High School has been a cornerstone in the community. We will continue to build upon the legacy of academic, athletic, and artistic excellence established by generations of Dons students and staff,” he said.
“My goal is to not merely maintain Santa Barbara High School, but to cultivate it to its fullest potential,” Gomez said.
SBUSD has already begun the process to identify Gomez’s successor as assistant principal.
“Ed Gomez’s extensive experience as an educator and administrator makes him the ideal leader to guide this historic institution into its next chapter,” said Superintendent Hilda Maldonado.
“His commitment to fostering excellence truly resonates with our district’s mission,” she said.
Quijano has worked in SBUSD since 2019 as the Secondary English instructional support specialist at the district office.
She has taken leadership roles in several district-wide initiatives, including ethnic studies, universal access, professional learning, and the development of the master plan for Emergent Multilingual Learners (EMLs).
“I could not be more honored and proud to become the next principal of Adams. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to build on the foundation of a trusting, collaborative, and joyful school that the current Adams administration, staff and families have built,” said Quijano.
“I intend to continue a long-term, and systematic approach to disrupting the predictable patterns of student achievement that we see in our schools,” she said. “Though the work that we have done in secondary is powerful, we need to start earlier.”
Previously, Quijano worked as an instructional coach in Arizona, and taught high school English in Denver, Colorado. She is the mother of former and current Adams Tigers.
“Allison Quijano’s dedication to equitable outcomes and her innovative work in supporting emergent multilingual learners and district-wide initiatives are precisely what Adams Elementary needs,” said Maldonado.
“Her passion for building strong, collaborative school communities and her commitment to fostering student success from an early age will undoubtedly make a profound impact,” Maldonado said.
Both hirings are effective July 1.