When County Superintendent Mike Sanchez retires from his position after more than 40 years in education, San Benito High School Principal Krystal Lomanto is set to take his place at the helm of the county’s public school system.
Lomanto, 49, is the only candidate on the ballot for the office in the June 3 election. Barring extraordinary circumstances, she is destined to take the new position in early January.
Sanchez chose not to file in March, leaving a five-day window for any candidate to step forward and run.
For Sanchez, it is an opportunity to spend more time with family, he said. For Lomanto, she is taking another step in her education career.
“It’s going to be very difficult for me to leave this institution,” said Lomanto in an interview at her high school office, where the walls are painted the school color. “I bleed what we call Baler red.”
In taking the position of county superintendent, Lomanto will say goodbye to the high school where she has spent more than 24 years serving students as a science teacher, assistant principal and, for the last seven years, principal.
Retired educator Ruben Lopez briefly considered running as a write-in candidate after he saw Lomanto was the only candidate on the ballot, but he did not file.
When asked how she plans to address the county’s low-performing schools, Lomanto said she wants to meet her staff before she sets a plan.
“I’m not going to say I have a specific plan because I need to get into the office, meet all of my staff, talk about the strengths, talk about the areas that we need to move forward with,” Lomanto said.
As Lomanto shifts from principal of a high school with nearly 3,000 students to a publicly elected position as head of the county’s public schools, Lomanto knows that not getting to talk with students on a daily basis will be the hardest part of the transition.
“It’s going to be difficult for me to leave but I’m extremely excited about the new position because I look at it as being able to support the needs of all kids in the community,” Lomanto said.
For Sanchez, it’s the end of an era of school administration as he has served as a principal for at least 20 years and as an assistant superintendent at the county level for several more years.
“I’m completing a 40-year career (in education) and it’s time to spend more time with family,” Sanchez said.
Giving up his position as county superintendent does not mean Sanchez plans to stop spending time at the local schools. He plans to keep working with the Police Activities League and to continue announcing at the Baler football games, he said.
Sanchez is especially proud of alternative education programs, including the San Benito County Office of Education Special Education Center on Line Street, which was put under county control during his time as superintendent.
More than programs, though, his fondest memories are of the students who still call him to let him know about the landmark decisions in their lives, ringing him to tell them they joined the military, they’re married or they just got the keys to their first house.
“It’s tough to put it into words but it’s the relationships and seeing the potential of what people can become and how they can develop into contributing members of society,” Sanchez said.
