Salcido: A View from the Trenches

Those of us who live in Santa Barbara County should be extremely proud to call Dr. Susan Salcido our County Superintendent of Schools. Susan is without a doubt the finest educator I’ve ever known, and I do not say this lightly. Prior to my retirement, I was an assistant superintendent at the Santa Barbara County Education Office and worked closely with Susan for over 10 years. My experience with her was extraordinary.

Susan is extremely intelligent and considered in her approach, an exceptional problem solver, an excellent communicator, and most importantly, a leader whose decisions are keenly focused on improving the lives of the children and families she serves. She is the type of leader who works in partnership with others – she rolls up her sleeves and does the hard work. Susan is humble to the core, and performs her responsibilities with grace, kindness, and compassion.

The position of County Superintendent of Schools is enormous, and Susan’s highly successful district and county office leadership experience have uniquely prepared her for the rigors of the position. It is for good reason that Susan has earned the deep and abiding respect of educators across Santa Barbara County and throughout California.

Occasionally we are fortunate enough to meet a person who possesses so many strong attributes that others marvel at their diverse abilities and strong character, and Susan falls squarely into this exclusive group. I have tremendous respect and admiration for Susan, and I wholeheartedly support her candidacy for re-election in June.