The Atascadero school board approved its new candidate for superintendent on April 1 after teachers and residents protested its previous pick.
The Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) school board voted unanimously to hire candidate Dr. Tom Bennett to replace current superintendent Tom Butler, who announced his retirement in September 2024.
Teachers and residents protested the board’s previous pick, current Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services E.J. Rossi, at a March 4 meeting, accusing the district and board of lacking proper vetting, stakeholder input, and due diligence.
Concerns about Rossi’s potential hire stemmed from accusations about him misappropriating $56,000 of San Ardo Union School District funds as a district superintendent and principal from 2003 to 2007, according to a 2010 San Luis Obispo County grand jury report. On March 18, the board announced it would look at other options, landing on Bennett.
New Times contacted each school board member for comment and did not receive any responses. But according to a statement from the district, Bennett’s experience includes starting as a high school math teacher in El Cajon then moving to teaching and administration within higher education. He then led Santa Fe Christian Schools for several years before becoming superintendent of the Rancho Santa Fe School District.
At the April 1 meeting, Bill Banning of Leadership Associates introduced Bennett to the public and board—Leadership Associates was awarded a $25,000 contract to help find AUSD recruit the best superintendent candidates.
Banning complimented the board on its leadership throughout the controversial and heated search for its new leader.
“The way this board worked through a very complex process with mutual respect, collegiality, and shared purpose, despite difference of opinions from time to time was truly commendable,” he said. “You stayed focused on what matters most, the future of AUSD and the students you serve. That’s what good governance looks like.”
Banning also said that the firm determined that Bennett was the most fit for the job due to his “strong leadership experience, a collaborative mindset, and a student-centered vision,” which were a good match for the district’s aspirations.
Some public commenters didn’t share Banning’s sentiments.
District parent Marie Whitton accused the board of lacking leadership throughout the process and of being too easily swayed by public “misinformation” about previous candidate Rossi.
“Mr. Rossi is a leader of integrity,” Whitton said, adding that she found it “deeply disappointing” that the board did not uphold its previous decision.
She reminded the board members that they can lose an election by one vote, and each had lost her next vote.
Resident Geoff Auslen criticized the board’s transparency, claiming that it did not properly outline each candidate’s qualifications for superintendent.
Regardless of the comments, board members expressed excitement over Bennett’s hire, and member Rebekah Koznek said the process exemplified respectful disagreements.
“I think we all still like each other … well, mostly,” she joked.
New hire Bennett will earn a $233,188 salary starting July 1, with an annual 4 percent increase. Δ
This article appears in Apr 3-13, 2025.