The Invisible Backbone

Santa Barbara County Education Office Operates
Behind the Scenes with 500 Staff, $150M Budget,
Impacting 70,000 Students

By Ella Heydenfeldt | November 20, 2025

Read more from Schools of Thought 2025 here.

There’s a peculiar irony in running an organization that serves 70,000 students while remaining largely invisible to the families whose children benefit most.

The Santa Barbara County Education Office doesn’t teach your kid algebra or grade their essays. It doesn’t pick textbooks or hire principals. But without it, public education in this county would resemble a ship without a rudder — dozens of school districts and charter schools adrift, each navigating solo through budgets, emergencies, and state mandates.

“People sometimes think my office runs all the schools in Santa Barbara County,” said Susan Salcido, Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools. “In reality, we work alongside 20 school districts and 10 charter schools — each with its own elected board, superintendent, and budget — by providing countywide programs, services, and systems that help schools operate effectively.”

Salcido oversees more than 500 staff members, a $150 million budget, and more than 200 programs that together serve about 70,000 students. It’s a mammoth operation that functions as connective tissue between the California Department of Education and local districts.

SBCEO operates schools for justice-involved youth and students with intensive special education needs — populations that often fall through institutional cracks. The office runs 11 preschool and childcare centers while administering childcare subsidies for more than 5,900 families, a financial lifeline that keeps working parents from having to choose between employment and adequate care.

“What often surprises people is how much of this work happens quietly; connecting districts, educators, and partners so that schools can focus on teaching and learning,” Salcido said.

Beyond direct services, SBCEO orchestrates the kind of countywide collaboration that would otherwise require Herculean diplomatic efforts. Through Partners in Education, students connect to real-world internships and career exposure. The Children’s Creative Project expands arts access across economic lines. For educators, the office provides professional development in literacy, math, science, and emerging technologies. Salcido noted: “Everything we do is rooted in service and leadership, supporting students, families, and educators in every community.”

The backbone metaphor extends to crisis management. When districts face budget shortfalls, natural disasters, or policy upheavals, SBCEO provides a coordinated response. The office reviews plans to ensure fiscal health, helps districts prepare for emergencies, and coordinates school safety efforts.

The office also convenes district and charter superintendents, school boards, and student leaders to share expertise and solve problems collectively. “We look for areas where every district can benefit from common support, whether that’s fiscal oversight, emergency preparedness, educator networks, or countywide initiatives that connect schools and communities,” Salcido said. “Above all, we lead by partnership, respecting each district’s autonomy while creating conditions where all schools can thrive and every student has access to opportunity.”

The result is an agency that operates largely unseen, its success measured not in headlines but in the seamless functioning of public education across Santa Barbara County. The best compliment SBCEO can receive is when nobody notices they’re there at all — when payroll processes without a hitch, when emergencies get managed before they escalate, when a preschooler finds affordable childcare without realizing a county office made it possible.

For more information about SBCEO’s programs and services, see sbceo.org.