Thursday’s Santa Barbara County Board of Education meeting was standing room only for the honoring of five outstanding individuals who are integral to the fabric of Santa Barbara County schools.
Nominations from the county’s 20 school districts are reviewed by the Santa Barbara County Board of Education, where the difficult process of narrowing down recipients occurs.
“The level of talent that we have in our county is remarkable,” said Director of Teacher Programs and Support Steven Keithley, who had a role in selecting the 2027 Teacher of the Year.
The ceremony started by honoring Teresa “Teddy” Barahona, a campus security officer in the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. She has been in campus security for 11 years, working at every school in the district, currently at Mark Richardson Career Technical Education Center & Agricultural Farm.
Barahona takes a community approach to her work, knowing every student by name. “Every conversation, every intervention, every moment we choose to mentor instead of simply discipline, those are the moments that shape a safer, stronger campus community.”
Rudy Bondietti, a maintenance worker at Santa Ynez Union High School for the past 32 years, was recognized for his wizardry with his tool box, not only physically, but also emotionally. Trustee Guy Walker presented Bondietti with his award, saying that when he was in school, “My Rudy was Mr. Brown: The maintenance guy who every kid who had some issue would go find.”
“I just see if I can try and fix something for them,” Bondietti said with a shy smile. His ability to efficiently anticipate and solve problems makes him an essential figure in the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School community.
Joe Nightingale School’s community liaison Mary Cortez was honored for her work over the past five years connecting Orcutt families to their schools. “Mary ensures that every family feels welcome, informed, and supported,” said Trustee Judy Frost. She has found herself being the point person that anyone can come to for essential resources to help foster student growth.
With tears in her eyes, Cortez thanked her “true girl-boss role models.” She said, “I’m so lucky to work alongside such an amazing group of people at Joe Nightingale School.”
Alice Shaw Elementary School office manager Cheri Palin’s coworkers say that “She is truly the backbone of our school and continuously goes above and beyond.” Serving as an advocate for both students and staff, she “fosters a sense of connection across the entire school community,” said Trustee Frost.
After spending 16 years working for Orcutt Union School District, Palin said, “I’d never give it up for anything.”
At the big finale, Superintendent Suzan Salcido announced the 2027 Teacher of the Year: El Camino Elementary’s 1st-grade bilingual teacher Alejandra Navarro.
“Alejandra Navarro is the kind of educator who changes the trajectory of children’s lives,” said Salicido.
Growing up in Carpinteria, Navarro has spent 19 years as an educator in the Goleta Union School District. She played an integral role in the establishment of the El Camino’s Dual Language Immersion program, which consistently has a waiting list of students trying to get in.
Navarro says that the Goleta community embraces speaking multiple languages, and she loves “sharing that confidence with the students, so that they are proud to be bilingual.” She said she sees her students “feel confident in who they are as they navigate through the world.”
The first cohort of kindergarteners in the Dual Language Immersion program will be promoted from the 5th grade at the end of the school year, and Navarro will be there celebrating them. She said watching students who may not have known any Spanish, now speaking with each other and their families, “is such a beautiful experience.”
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