The People We Trust With Our Children — Dr. Kim Sheehan
Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos · Released September 11, 2026 · Santa Ynez Valley, California
About this conversation
Dr. Kim Sheehan is the Superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District—and one of the people entrusted with helping prepare the next generation of this valley for adulthood.
In this episode of Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos, Keith and Dr. Sheehan sit down for an honest conversation about education, leadership, students, teachers, parents, expectations, accountability, and the changing world facing young people today.
This is not simply a conversation about schools.
It is a conversation about community.
It is about what children need from the adults around them, what educators are being asked to carry, how leadership decisions affect real families, and how a small community can work together to give its young people a stronger beginning.
Because the future of the Santa Ynez Valley is already here.
It is sitting inside our classrooms.
Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos is recorded in Los Olivos, California, and features real conversations with the ranchers, farmers, educators, winemakers, business owners, artists, leaders, and local characters who make the Santa Ynez Valley remarkable.
The show is free.
Please buy wine.
Explore every episode at:
https://saarloosandsons.com/podcast
From Keith’s original Valley archive
The following material is preserved from the original episode post. Existing transcript text is an archive copy and may contain transcription errors.
THE FUTURE IS SITTING IN THE CLASSROOM
Dr. Kim Sheehan | Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District
There are very few jobs in a small town where nearly every decision eventually walks past you in the grocery store.
Dr. Kim Sheehan has one of them.
She is the Superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District—the public high school district responsible for helping prepare hundreds of young people from across the Santa Ynez Valley for whatever comes next.
College.
A trade.
A job.
The military.
Agriculture.
Business.
Family.
Adulthood.
Life.
And that makes this conversation bigger than school.
Because every kid sitting in a classroom today eventually becomes somebody's employee, employer, neighbor, customer, spouse, parent, coach, volunteer, business owner or community leader.
The future of this valley is already sitting in the classroom.
So I wanted to sit down with one of the people responsible for helping prepare them.
Dr. Kim Sheehan came to Santa Ynez after a career in education that has included working as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, technology director, student-support leader and administrator.
She earned her doctorate from USC's Rossier School of Education, where her dissertation focused on equitable hiring practices.
But a résumé only tells you where somebody has been.
I wanted to know how she thinks.
What does she believe a school owes a student?
What should parents expect from a school?
What should a school be able to expect from parents?
What does accountability look like?
How do we prepare children for a world that is changing underneath their feet?
And maybe most importantly:
What kind of human being are we trying to send out the other side?
Because education isn't theoretical when it is your kid.
Pull up a chair.
This is Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos.
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WHO IS DR. KIM SHEEHAN?
Dr. Kim Sheehan is the Superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District in Santa Barbara County, California.
She came to the Santa Ynez Valley after a long career in public education and educational leadership.
Before arriving in Santa Ynez, Sheehan served as Director of Operations for The Accelerated Schools, a charter school organization serving South Los Angeles.
Earlier in her career, she spent many years in the Covina-Valley Unified School District, working in a variety of roles that included teacher, softball coach, assistant principal, principal, director of technology and director of student support services.
Sheehan earned a bachelor's degree in communications and public relations from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a master's degree in pupil personnel and administrative leadership from Azusa Pacific University.
She later earned her doctorate from the USC Rossier School of Education.
Her doctoral research focused on equitable hiring practices.
In 2024, the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Board of Education unanimously selected Sheehan to become the district's next superintendent.
Today, she leads the district serving high-school students throughout California's Santa Ynez Valley.
But superintendent is one of those titles that can make the actual work sound distant.
It isn't.
Behind every budget, staffing decision, policy discussion, campus improvement and school-board meeting are young people.
And those young people eventually become the community.
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WHAT DOES A SUPERINTENDENT ACTUALLY DO?
Most of us understand what a teacher does.
Most of us understand what a coach does.
The superintendent's job can be harder to see.
A school superintendent is essentially responsible for helping lead an entire school district.
That means working with the elected Board of Education, principals, teachers, classified employees, counselors, coaches, parents, students and the broader community.
The job can touch almost everything:
Educational priorities.
Staffing.
Budgets.
Facilities.
Student services.
School safety.
State requirements.
Long-term planning.
Community relationships.
And the culture of the district itself.
In a large metropolitan school system, those decisions can sometimes feel distant.
In a place like the Santa Ynez Valley, they aren't.
The people affected by the decisions are the same people you see at football games, restaurants, churches, grocery stores, businesses and community events.
That makes leadership intensely personal.
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LINKS FOR TOPICS COVERED
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District
https://www.syvpirates.org/Santa Barbara County Education Office
https://www.sbceo.org/Santa Ynez Valley
https://www.visitsyv.com/Los Olivos
https://www.losolivosca.com/USC Rossier School of Education
https://rossier.usc.edu/Cal Poly Pomona
https://www.cpp.edu/Azusa Pacific University
https://www.apu.edu/California Department of Education
https://www.cde.ca.gov/Saarloos + Sons
https://saarloosandsons.com/Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos
https://saarloosandsons.com/podcast -
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE
Dr. Kim Sheehan
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District
Santa Ynez Valley Union High School
Santa Ynez Valley Education
Santa Barbara County Education
California Public Education
Public High Schools
School Superintendents
Educational Leadership
School Administration
Teachers
School Principals
School Counselors
Coaches and Mentors
Parents and Schools
Parent Involvement
Community Involvement
Student Achievement
Student Accountability
Academic Expectations
School Culture
High School Students
Preparing Students for Adulthood
College Readiness
Career Readiness
Career Technical Education
Trade Careers
Workforce Development
Agricultural Education
California Agriculture
Youth Leadership
Leadership Development
Character Development
Mentorship
Student Opportunities
Extracurricular Activities
High School Athletics
Education and Technology
School Safety
Educational Policy
School District Governance
Boards of Education
Community Schools
Rural Education
Small-Town Education
Santa Ynez Valley Community
Santa Ynez, California
Los Olivos, California
Solvang, California
Buellton, California
Ballard, California
Santa Barbara County
USC Rossier School of Education
Cal Poly Pomona
Azusa Pacific University
Keith Saarloos
Saarloos + Sons
Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos
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FAQ
FAQ
WHO IS DR. KIM SHEEHAN?
Dr. Kim Sheehan is the Superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District in Santa Barbara County, California.
WHEN DID DR. KIM SHEEHAN BECOME SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT?
The district selected Sheehan in 2024, and she began serving as superintendent on July 1, 2024.
WHAT DID DR. KIM SHEEHAN DO BEFORE COMING TO SANTA YNEZ?
Sheehan worked throughout public education in roles including teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, director of technology, director of student support services and Director of Operations for The Accelerated Schools in Los Angeles.
WHERE DID DR. KIM SHEEHAN GO TO COLLEGE?
Sheehan earned her bachelor's degree from Cal Poly Pomona, a master's degree from Azusa Pacific University and her doctorate from the USC Rossier School of Education.
WHAT WAS DR. KIM SHEEHAN'S DOCTORAL RESEARCH ABOUT?
Her dissertation research focused on equitable hiring practices.
WHAT DOES THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT DO?
The district provides public high-school education to students in communities throughout the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California.
IS DR. KIM SHEEHAN ALSO THE PRINCIPAL OF SANTA YNEZ HIGH SCHOOL?
No. Dr. Sheehan currently serves as district superintendent. Santa Ynez Valley Union High School has separate school-level leadership.
WHAT DOES A SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT DO?
A superintendent leads the overall operation and strategic direction of a public school district, working with the Board of Education, administrators, teachers, staff, families and community.
WHY DOES COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT MATTER IN EDUCATION?
Schools are only one part of a young person's development. Parents, teachers, coaches, employers, mentors and community members all help students develop skills, confidence, accountability and character.
DOES SUCCESS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL ALWAYS MEAN ATTENDING A FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITY?
No. Students can pursue universities, community colleges, trade programs, apprenticeships, military service, agriculture, entrepreneurship and direct entry into the workforce. The appropriate path depends on the individual student.
WHERE IS SANTA YNEZ VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL?
The school is located in Santa Ynez, California, within Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley.
WHAT IS CHOPPING IT UP WITH KEITH SAARLOOS?
Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos is a long-form radio show and podcast recorded in Los Olivos, California, featuring conversations with the farmers, ranchers, educators, entrepreneurs, winemakers, artists, historians, leaders and characters who make the Santa Ynez Valley special.
WHERE CAN I LISTEN TO MORE EPISODES?
The complete archive of Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos is available at:
https://saarloosandsons.com/podcast
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