YCOE Sup Holmes-Sanchez to Retire

by Lou Binninger

Scotia Holmes-Sanchez after being sworn-in for a second 4 – year term in January surprised many with her announced resignation effective June 30, 2015.

After teaching for more than three decades Holmes-Sanchez was elected Superintendent of the Yuba County Office of Education (YCOE) in 2010. She replaced longtime educator-entrepreneur Ric Teagarden when he announced his retirement.

Holmes-Sanchez taking over from Teagarden was like jumping on a moving train. In 16- years, Teagarden had taken a floundering office with a $4 million budget and facing possible bankruptcy to a $24 million education juggernaut with reserves for difficult times.

Offices of Education have a mandate to oversee the budgets of all schools in the county, serve those students having the highest needs, and educate adjudicated youth.

However, Holmes-Sanchez agreed with Teagarden that the office can address any unmet education gaps in the county, as well. So, Teagarden launched the first charter school in Yuba-Sutter Counties, a controversial move at the time. He also reached out to home school parents shunned and harassed by mainstream education leaders.
The Career Preparatory Charter School offered K-12 education but also construction technology, automotive and business training. Recently, the charter school under Holmes-Sanchez added a very popular Media Arts class offering film and broadcast experience.

YCOE also included Youth Build, a program for young people 17-23 years of age who had not finished high school. They were trained in the construction trades while helping them graduate. Many new homes were built by the students and sold in the City of Marysville.

Teagarden also re-developed the vacated lumber mill at Yuba St. and Hwy 20 to build the Yuba County One-Stop. It continues today as an employment / jobs center under YCOE.

One major challenge for both Teagarden and Holmes-Sanchez was guiding YCOE in stressful financial times. From 2007 to his departure in 2010, Teagarden faced a nasty recession where the state would not forward all the tax dollars owed to county education. Though Teagarden had conservatively guided YCOE the state had mismanaged its resources and took it out on the counties. Holmes-Sanchez inherited the same tension with the state but also a sound financial operation.

Holmes-Sanchez credits Teagarden with building a strong, healthy organization to outlast the trouble at the state and federal level. With the state’s finances now improving coupled with a new funding model for schools Holmes-Sanchez says the county office is in its best position both fiscally and program-wise since the recession began.

She believes the department’s improved financial status along with the skilled leaders in the office offer a strategic time for her to make a transition to retirement.

The 5-member YCOE Board will choose a new superintendent to complete Holmes-Sanchez’s 4-year term. Board member and former Marysville Joint Unified School District Superintendent George Smith said he was surprised by the announcement and will miss her. “She did a really good job,” said Smith.