Francisco Lozano, SMBSD Mixteco parent advisory committee president, awarded 'Key to the District'

The Santa Maria-Bonita School District board awarded their first Key to the District for the 2025-26 school year to Mixteco Community Leader Francisco Lozano, at their Sept. 24 meeting.

Lozano is a founding member and current president of the Mixteco parent advisory committee, which works with Mixteco-speaking families from both SMBSD and the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District to support student success and advocate for policies and practices that support students and their families.

SMBSD board member John Hollinshead selected Lozano as his Key to the District recipient, praising Lozano as a “unifier, a team builder and a leader.”

Hollinshead noted that Lozano, whose native language is Mixteco, taught himself Spanish as a second language in order to better communicate w