As part of Noozhawk’s June 7 primary election coverage, we are publishing Q&As with candidates running for contested county races of Sheriff-Coroner; Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters; and County Superintendent of Schools.
Candidate answers may be lightly edited for spelling and formatting, but are otherwise presented as they were submitted.
For County Superintendent of Schools, candidates include Christy Lozano and Susan Salcido.
The June 7 election is a vote-by-mail election with ballot drop-off boxes and polling places also available for returning ballots.
Click here for more information about the positions on the June 7 ballot and how to cast your vote.
County Superintendent of Schools Candidate Susan Salcido
Noozhawk: Why do you want to be elected as County Superintendent of Schools? What makes you the most qualified candidate to be County Superintendent of Schools?
Susan Salcido: This is a pivotal moment in the state of public education. We need an experienced, knowledgeable leader who understands the intricacies and complexities of the public school system, and the unique needs of communities from Cuyama to Carpinteria. Coming through this pandemic together, we need compassion and focus, we need attention to academics and learning as well as support for wellness and motivation. We need leadership that shows students and staff, through our actions and intentions, that our schools are strong, resilient, and ready to move up and forward in support of all students. I am that educational leader.
I am eager to continue to serve as County Superintendent of Schools because we have urgent work to do. Change takes trusted leadership, and trusted leaders are supported by highly capable and effective teams. My team includes the 554 incredible employees at the County Education Office, as well as thousands of teachers, classified staff, civic leaders, elected officials, parents, grandparents, community members, and students from throughout Santa Barbara County who are supporting me as County Superintendent of Schools and are committed to working together as we forge ahead.
The role of County Superintendent carries enormous responsibility and requires a depth of knowledge and experience that I have proudly built over my 26 years in education in Santa Barbara County. As Superintendent, I provide support for 20 school districts and 10 charter schools, administer a $100 million budget, and oversee 200 programs serving more than 70,000 children. We provide critical services to our county’s most vulnerable students such as free and low-cost preschool and child care, career education, support for homeless and foster youth, and special education services.
My tenure as Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools is marked by my commitment to lead with integrity, compassion, and support for ALL children. I am proud of the programs and systems that I have helped to build and lead throughout our county, and yet I see many challenges ahead as we address the achievement and resource gaps that exist throughout our communities and school systems. Now is the time to build upon our successes, and to actively expand the impact of our services on behalf of every child in our County.
In the midst of widespread societal strife and change, our children deserve a trusted leader with a proven track record and skillsets to guide us forward. It would be my privilege and honor to continue this work.
Noozhawk: What work experience do you have as an administrator in public K-12 education?
Susan Salcido: In 2017, when I first began as County Superintendent of Schools, never would I have imagined that our schools would need to navigate conditions created by the Thomas Fire, and mitigate the tragic impacts of the debris flows in 2018. In 2020, we created a new system of education for all 70,000 students in our county due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, my priorities have remained consistent and focused on children: keep students safe, keep schools safely open, and focus on excellence in education.
My background has focused on leadership in education: I attended UCSB, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education. I earned a doctorate from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, where I specialized in organizational change, leadership, and student equity.
My 26-year teaching and administrative background include:
» English teacher and tennis coach, Dos Pueblos High School
» Assistant Principal, San Marcos High School
» Principal, Santa Barbara Junior High School
» Director, Curriculum and Instruction, Santa Barbara County Education Office
» Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction, SBCEO
» Deputy Superintendent, SBCEO
» County Superintendent of Schools
In 2018 I received the Santa Barbara County Woman of the Year Award for the 19th Senate District and the 37th Assembly District. In 2017 I received the Administrator of the Year award from the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 13, representing Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties. As a teacher, I was named the Parent Teacher Association Honorary Service Award recipient.
I’m very proud of my education and leadership experience, which spans from preschool to 12th grade, and birth to age 22. And while it is absolutely essential that the County Superintendent of Schools has the experience and credentials for this leadership role, there are skills and qualities that are needed in addition to experience: I am a leader who brings people together, always looking for common ground that allows us to move forward together, not apart; I listen intently; and I recognize that the business of schools is the business of people. This role requires a student-centered courageous, compassionate leader.
Noozhawk: How long have you lived and worked in education in Santa Barbara County?
Susan Salcido: With over 40 years in Santa Barbara County and 26 years in public education, I am personally invested in our school communities. I am a proud product of Santa Maria public schools: Adam Elementary, El Camino Junior High, and Santa Maria High School; a graduate of UCSB, benefitted from courses at SBCC, a mother of two teenagers who attend local public schools, and married for 19 years to a local public high school teacher who was born and raised in Santa Barbara County.
Santa Barbara County has been home for most of my life, and I am 100% committed to serving and leading as Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools.
Noozhawk: What are your goals for the four years of the elected term?
Susan Salcido: In response to this question, I’d like to start with some of the goals I have set, and met, during my tenure as Superintendent over the past five years. My amazing team and I have increased opportunities for career pathways in middle school and every high school; connected 2,500 children to childcare and preschools; provided intensive support for over 800 students with disabilities countywide; increased access to on-site student mental health support; and assisted in the expansion of dual language immersion programs throughout the county, all while responding to the pandemic crises for the past two years.
In Santa Barbara County, we face long-standing challenges such as high poverty rates, housing insecurity & homelessness, and achievement & learning gaps. Moving forward, during this endemic phase of the COVID pandemic, we are observing many concerns in education that will require additional focus and attention.
This includes increased rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns; learning gaps and learning recovery; substance abuse/fentanyl crisis; childcare gaps; and educator morale, turnover, and retention.
At this pivotal time, one of my key goals is to bring people to the table to create actions in response to the concerns we face. I recently announced my plans to hold a series of SBCEO-facilitated countywide Community Conversations in Education to delve into the most pressing topics facing educators and families today. The goal is to develop networks of support and responsive action. We will be sharing more about this in the coming weeks.
Topics of study may include: literacy/Dyslexia; youth mental health; campus safety; substance abuse and the opioid crisis; the impacts of excessive screen time and social media; students experiencing homelessness/transitional youth.
I will also continue to lead efforts to increase SBCEO’s impact in these key areas:
» Student learning & academic success: Expand career and vocational education to prepare students for jobs that support their futures and our local economy. Support districts with their academic performance initiatives.
» Preschool, childcare, special education: Increase access to high-quality childcare and preschool programs for working families, and expand early learning for children with special needs to support their readiness for kindergarten.
» Student & educator well-being: Connect students, families, and educators to school-based mental wellness services, in response to urgent concerns and needs. Promote recruitment and retention of school employees.
Noozhawk: If elected, how would you lead the County Education Office to support public school districts as they struggle with student learning loss and the increased demand for mental health services during the pandemic?
Susan Salcido: The mental health and wellness of our students, teachers, and administrators are the foundation that bolsters their success both personally and academically. Local schools have reported that referrals for mental wellness support have more than doubled since 2019. A national 2022 study by the Centers for Disease Control showed that 44% of youth in schools experienced depression, loneliness, isolation, and anxiety in the past twelve months.
As a mom, I have seen, first-hand, the effects of the pandemic on our youth. Friends and family have needed help, and when help is needed, it cannot wait.
As County Superintendent, I secured a multi-million dollar competitive state grant to increase in-school mental health support for students and their families. Through collaborative partnerships with SB County Behavioral Wellness, YouthWell, mental wellness providers, and the Countywide Promotoras Network, mental health coordinators and navigators are now serving in a local, drop-in center to support families in the Santa Maria Valley. We are expanding now to Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley, and then next to districts south of Goleta.
Our county is fortunate to have many organizations working to provide youth, family, and educator mental health support. However, the demand is greater than the supply. As County Superintendent, I am committed to increasing services with the goal that all students may access resources at school-based sites.
Learning loss: We know that some students were able to thrive and are ready for more challenges and acceleration, while far too many students experienced devasting gaps in learning that need immediate intervention.
The best approach to support students with learning loss starts with identifying specific areas for intervention. Educators use multiple measures to identify progress. The most effective assessments take place in classrooms and schools because they provide immediate feedback to the teacher, student, and parent/guardian.
Note: we should be cautious in assigning too much emphasis on state-wide test results at this point in time. Due to the pandemic, the last complete round of California test results are from three years ago (2018-2019). Before the pandemic, our countywide overall test score results showed improvement each year.
My office supports districts as they make choices on how to instruct and measure the progress students are making. How do we do this?
Our team of literacy, mathematics, and intervention experts works directly with districts and their teams.
We conduct trainings for school board members, teachers, and staff to build understanding of the state’s assessment system and California School Dashboard, an online tool that shows how schools are performing in a variety of areas.
We assist individual districts in analyzing state measures, including test score data, so they can compare student groups (i.e. students with disabilities, English learners), to identify trends, and turn data into actionable information to provide the most informed intervention possible.
We connect district teams to state and national resources on screening and assessment tools that help identify students who are struggling academically, behaviorally, and/or socio-emotionally, and build intervention systems in response.
Through our credential programs and leadership academies, we support teachers and leaders in using multiple data sources to analyze the effectiveness of teaching methods and programs.
There are no shortcuts to teaching and learning, and I resolve to provide unwavering support to districts throughout the county as we support all students in academic, intellectual, social, and emotional growth and achievement.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
