This is one in a series of 2021 CSUB Alumni Hall of Fame profiles.
Mary Barlow knows what it’s like to stand in line for food handouts, to tell the bill collectors mom and dad aren’t home, to have the heat turned off and the car in danger of repossession.
She knows because she experienced all those things as a child growing up in a loving but challenged family that moved around a lot and struggled to pay the bills as her father battled mental illness.
It explains the trajectory of her 27 years in education, all in struggling school districts, first as an elementary school teacher in Weldon’s South Fork Union School District, later as an administrator in Kernville, and now as superintendent of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office.
Along the way, Barlow formed the Kern River Valley Collaborative to address poverty, abuse and addiction issues there. She’s championed the Dream Center, which helps foster youth transition out of the system. She helped launch the Kern Education Pledge, an alliance transforming local education from cradle to career.
And most recently, Barlow has coordinated efforts among Kern County’s 47 school districts to ensure instruction and support services continue amid the pandemic, a mission challenged by high poverty rates among their kids.
“Mary understands that there’s more to education than just reading, writing and arithmetic,” said Tom Corson, executive director of the Kern County Network for Children and a 2019 CSUB Alumni Hall of Fame inductee.
“She understands those are the essentials, but she also knows that if kids are coming to school hungry, they’re not going to learn. She knows if kids are dealing with domestic violence at home, they’re not going to learn. They’re not going to learn if they’re dealing with mental health issues.
“They need support, and she gets it.”