Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) announced its selection of Luke Ontiveros as new superintendent on April 13, following a months-long search to fill the position.
SMBSD Board President John Hollinshead told the Sun the board was most impressed with Ontiveros’ collaborative leadership style, which makes him receptive to suggestions from other administration and staff.
“That’s going to suit us very well, that kind of collaborative cooperative leadership managerial model,” Hollinshead said.
Starting in early July, Ontiveros will oversee the education of more than 17,000 preschool-through-eighth grade students in the 20-campus district. SMBSD employs 1,846 staff and faculty with a budget of approximately $188 million, according to a district news release.
Ontiveros earned his bachelor’s in history from Santa Clara University, his teaching credential from Cal Poly, and his master’s in organizational leadership from National University in San Diego. He then worked in various school districts as a junior high language arts and history teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, district coordinator, director of classified personnel, interim assistant superintendent, and special assistant to the superintendent.
“He’s been in everybody’s shoes,” Hollinshead said of Ontiveros’ experience. “He tries to see the world from their point of view, too, when he’s working with them. He can relate to them.”
One of Ontiveros’ previous employers, Snowline Joint Unified School District, received a state Golden Bell Award in 2015 for its English language acquisition program. The SMBSD news release said Ontiveros’ experience with Snowline’s English-learning program would translate well to Santa Maria-Bonita, which teaches more than 10,000 English learners.
Though Ontiveros has taught around California, he’s a native of Santa Maria and considers the city his home.
“Getting back to our family is a big deal,” Ontiveros stated in the news release. “I have four brothers who still live in Santa Maria and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Santa Maria has always felt like home in many ways, and now we get to stay instead of just visit on the holidays.”
Hollinshead said that while Ontiveros’ connection to Santa Maria is a plus, his experience outside the area is also valuable.
“We get the best of both worlds,” Hollinshead said. “We have somebody who really loves this city, because he grew up here, but he’s also forged his own path in having been elsewhere for a lengthy period of time and gaining outside experiences and becoming an excellent leader. Across the board, we’re super excited.”
Ontiveros will take over for Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Matt Beecher, who has acted as interim superintendent since SMBSD’s previous superintendent Phil Alvarado retired in June 2015.
This article appears in Apr 21-28, 2016.