As the Chief Business Official (CBO) for the West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) that serves about 1,500 students, Andrew Soliz has a small but mighty team working with him. The nimble nature of the team means Soliz is responsible for every aspect of the district’s finances, from building the budget to seeing the impact of his decisions play out from the classroom to the lunchroom.

“You feel like you have that connection to building the educational priorities as a reflection of the budget,” says Soliz. “You can see it happening because you’re not so removed from everything.”

While West Sonoma County is a small district in terms of student population, the district’s boundary encompasses almost 400 square miles, from the Marin to the Mendocino County line, including the city of Sebastopol and far west Sonoma County. And thanks to a dedicated team, it has become a destination district for families and educators alike.

One reason for the district’s success is the work it has done with its labor partners. Soliz, his partners at the district and the West Sonoma County Teachers Association have reworked the salary schedule to help everyone get the biggest bang for the buck in negotiations. For example, the district condensed the salary schedule to eliminate barriers and provide the opportunity for teachers to get to the top of the salary schedule more quickly.

The success makes sense when you consider Soliz’s background.

As a child, Soliz dreamed of becoming a teacher, and he got real education industry experience while working full time at his Salt Lake City high school computer lab his senior year. While studying education at University of Phoenix, a mentor suggested he switch his focus from education to business administration – and it made all the difference.

After graduation, he worked as a district office secretary and then moved into child nutrition, starting as the director of child nutrition for the West Fresno Elementary District. While there, he also worked with maintenance operations and
transportation.

After two decades of service in child nutrition, Soliz took on the role of CBO at WSCUHSD in 2021.
He also earned his MBA from University of Phoenix, participated in USC’s CBO training program and later in FCMAT’s CBO mentor program.

When Soliz took his first job in California in 2004, he looked to CASBO to help build a professional network. He served as the Research & Development co-chair for child nutrition for the Central Section, then worked through the ranks of Northern Section leadership, becoming president in 2021. Soliz moved to Sonoma County in 2021, and when CASBO reorganized and introduced the North Bay section, he was happy to become the state director.

“CASBO has helped me build a professional network in a wide variety of business operations,” he says. “It helps build those connections where we focus on student achievement. We’re here for the students; that’s our school business.”