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New superintendent makes history

Just as Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Christine Lizardi Frazier broke ground as the first female and first Hispanic Kern County Superintendent of Schools. The 57-year-old Lizardi Frazier is the 20th Kern County Superintendent of Schools replacing Larry E. Reider, who retired June 30. While being a Latina in such a high position is a major accomplishment, much like Sotomayor, it is not the most important aspect. “It is about being able to do the job,” she said. Magda Menendez, MAOF Administrator, agreed. “The fact the most qualified person in this case happens to be a female and Latina is just plain pretty,” Menendez said. “Ms. Frazier strikes me as someone who has worked hard her entire professional career for the betterment of all of our children’s education. She will obviously have a sensitivity to Latinos and their needs based on her own experiences as a Latina.” Lizardi Frazier’s experiences go back to her high school says where she made sandwiches in a lunch truck. Neither Lizardi Frazier’s parents graduated from high school. Her father dropped out to join the Navy and later become a barber for more than 60 years. While both Lizardi Frazier’s parents spoke Spanish the second-generation Latina did not. “Good or bad they believed that their children would not go through what they had gone through and raised my brother, sister and myself zier said. However, Lizardi Frazier went on to get a second major in Spanish from Arizona State University. Lizardi Frazier said it was her family’s support and success that propelled her to strive for higher education. “My heritage has always made me proud,” she said. “I was proud of the first generation engineers and teachers in my family. Their appreciation of an education, their strong work ethic and their incredible Catholic faith were inspirations to me.” And while she was motivated to obtain her college degree, she was not always geared toward the education field. It wasn’t until Lizardi Frazier did community service at a school during college that she discovered her true calling. Lizardi Frazier was teaching at a school for mentally disabled children and was impressed by how much they understood. “I thought to myself, look how much they are learning. Imagine what they could learn if I actually knew what I was doing,” she said. “I went back to Arizona State University and changed my major.” Since that day, Lizardi Frazier’s career has spanned more than 30 years as a classroom teacher, school principal, assistant superintendent and school district superintendent. She joined the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office in 1996, and prior to her appointment served as associate superintendent. Lizardi Frazier is a native of Arizona and obtained her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University, her master’s from California State University, Bakersfield and her doctorate from the University of the Pacific. Lizardi Frazier is also highly involved in the community with such groups as the Boys and Girls Club of Bakersfield and the Kern Economic Development Corporation. Kern County Board of Education board members were also impressed with her past work and credentials. “First of all, she is extraordinarily qualified — not only does she have curriculum experience, but also the financial experience,” said Kern County Board of Education board member Michael Butcher. “She has the experience of leading and working with people. Secondly, with the economy the way it is, it was not a good time to call for an election, nor was it time to look for someone outside who had no idea what was going on in the county office.” CSUB professor Thomas Martinez said he was so impressed with Lizardi Frazier that he asked her to be the keynote speaker at this year’s CSUB Hispanic Excellence Scholarship Fund’s 26th annual Scholarship Awards Dinner Sept. 26. “She is eloquent, sincere and speaks with passion about her commitment to the education of all children in our community,” Martinez said. Menendez believes that Lizardi Frazier is the best person for the job and has a lot to bring to the county. “I think her appointment adds a positive dimension to the services provided by KCSOS,” Menendez said. “We have some serious and complex issues facing education today. Given the Latino population in Kern County, cultural competency should play big into how successful we’ll be in addressing many of these issues.” Latino students in grades K-12 made up 58.2 percent of the county’s enrollment in the 2008-2009 school year, which is 101,309 students each with their own diverse backgrounds and experiences. When asked how she would address generational issues affecting Latinos, Lizardi Frazier said her methods are the same for all students. “My family represents both first-generation English speakers and second-generation English only speakers and my goal for both remains the same-excellence,” she said. “My expectation is one of high academic achievement for all our students.Why would my expectation be different?” Lizardi Frazier’s mission is to modify the journey students currently go through in an attempt to increase the number of students reached. To do so, Lizardi Frazier said that two items have to be looked at: the current financial situation and the differences that exist in the students of today. “The saying used to be doing more with less, but unfortunately now it has become doing less with less,” Lizardi Frazier said. Defining what is important is the first step in Lizardi Frazier’s mission. “We are in a different situation now. It’s not a matter of a JV team versus an art program, it’s a JV team versus an algebra teacher,” Lizardi Frazier said. “When it comes down to that choice, I am going to teach the students algebra.” Lizardi Frazier said that it breaks her heart that some valued programs will have to be cut but unfortunately there is no other way around it. “When I look at the kids we have reached through the outreach programs we have and then think that some of them will have to be cut, it gives me the greatest anxiety,” she said. Lizardi Frazier said program cuts are hard choices that must be made in environments where parents and teachers are upset. She also feels that it is vital to include parent and community involvement to ensure student success. “The expectation that schools will do it alone is unrealistic. For optimal results, people need to be involved in their schools,” she said. A balance must be struck as schools move through this less than ideal financial situation as well as adapting teaching methods to reach out to a new generation of students. “There are standards we need to impart such as trust, honesty and a good work ethic,” she said. “There has to be a blending of old and new. We need to take the best of both.”