Atascadero High School Principal Nikki Baca’s sudden placement on administrative leave prompted allegations that district leaders retaliated against her, with students, teachers, and staff demanding answers during an Oct. 20 school board meeting.
The Atascadero Unified School District placed Baca on leave Oct. 15. ACE Academy Principal Libby Madding was appointed interim principal effective Oct. 16.
“Due to the confidential nature of personnel matters, we are unable to share additional details,” Superintendent Tom Bennett wrote in a message to staff obtained by New Times.
During the Oct. 20 meeting, Baca’s husband, Joseph Baca, alleged that his wife was placed on nondisciplinary administrative leave without being given a reason, and he accused district administrators of retaliating against her for questioning leadership decisions and raising concerns about student safety.
“You call it a personnel issue, but this looks personal,” he told the school board.
“You removed her from strategic planning for asking questions, then reprimanded her for challenging what narrative you would spin to the board, and told her to stop putting things in writing,” he said.
He also alleged that Bennett made inappropriate comments about his wife’s appearance and ethnicity.
“Your comments about my wife’s age, beauty, and Native American features, and how much high school boys must love her are completely inappropriate,” Baca said.
He accused leadership of attempting to silence his wife for challenging administrative decisions.
“She questioned you, stood on her morals, and refused to jeopardize student safety,” he said. “Instead of valuing that kind of leadership, you tried to silence her.”
Baca called for an independent audit of the district’s spending on outside legal counsel, Lozano Smith, questioning the use of taxpayer funds for administrative matters.
“How much taxpayer money is going to outside counsel for routine administrative decisions, while students and staff go without?” he asked.
He accused district administrators of relying excessively on the law firm and urged school board members to review internal communications related to his wife’s leave.
“Investigate the spending, investigate the decisions, read the emails before they get deleted, investigate the people in power, not the whistleblower asking questions,” he said.
New Times couldn’t verify his allegations, and the district had not publicly addressed them as of Oct. 21.
Several students and teachers also spoke at the meeting in support of Baca.
Atascadero High senior Jordyn Best, the school’s ASB vice president, described Baca as a supportive administrator who made students feel heard.
“Today, I feel betrayed,” Best told the board. “I never imagined I would stand before you, watching our school community suffer through a situation that threatens someone who has given so much to me and my peers.”
English teacher Mary Corey criticized the district’s lack of communication and said recent staffing cuts had already strained relationships between administrators and teachers.
“Given that we have no information, … we at the high school are going to assume the worst of you,” Corey said.
An online petition calling for Baca’s reinstatement had collected 213 signatures toward a goal of 250 as of Oct. 21.
Board President Denise McGrew-Kane acknowledged the public’s concerns but said the board could not discuss matters that weren’t listed on the meeting agenda.
New Times reached out to Bennett for comment but did not receive a response before publication. ∆
This article appears in Pets 2026.
