Board of Trustees rescinds apparent offer to assistant superintendent E.J. Rossi after complaints aired

ATASCADERO — For those who took a look at the Tuesday, March 18, meeting agenda for the Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees, it looked like the replacement for outgoing Superintendent Tom Butler was about to be named.

Down the list, to Item 12.1, under Action Items, was the line “Approval of employment agreement with Superintendent, E.J. Rossi, effective July 1, 2025/Recommend approval.”

Rossi is the assistant superintendent for educational services for AUSD and former principal of Atascadero High School. In the board’s previous meeting on March 4, several spoke out against the imminent appointment, and after the agenda item was posted for Tuesday night’s meeting, a large crowd filled with many of them, presumably, ready to restate that opposition.

However, when the board convened, acting Board President Denise McGrew-Kane began the meeting by saying it took no action in the earlier closed session and then gave a statement that “the board has taken into consideration a significant amount of public input in the community and has determined to continue the search for the next district superintendent.” The announcement, confirming that Rossi would not be hired, drew a rousing cheer and extended applause from the audience.

The potential hire of Rossi drew opposition at the previous meeting, as several speakers cited complaints from teachers and classified employees citing difficulties of working with and under him. Some speakers also said others were hesitant to comment for fear of retaliation.

Also of concern was a report released in 2009 when Rossi was AHS principal: An audit at the San Ardo School District, for which he had been the superintendent, found misappropriation of $54,000 in district funds. According to a story in Cal Coast News dated Dec. 7, 2009, Rossi “signed a settlement and release agreement to avoid legal action. Even though he did not admit to any wrongdoing, he agreed to pay the San Ardo School District $32,000 of the alleged $54,000 in missing monies, according to the settlement.”

The agenda item on Rossi’s appointment was removed, so those who came to comment needed to do so during the Oral Communication from the Public, which dealt with non-agenda items. Many who planned to speak out against the appointment waived their requests to speak after the board’s announcement.

However, a few remained to comment on the superintendent’s search, praising the decision to rescind the job offer, but criticizing the board for allowing it to get to this point.

Anthony Villanueva was the first to speak on the subject and, like many subsequent speakers, has prepared a speech that was now made moot with the board’s decision. However, he did use his time to comment on how the board handled the situation.

“You went too far. It should have never taken this many people to speak,” he said. “We showed up to show our support for the students and the teachers. This was a win for all those standing behind me, but it’s a fight that never should have happened.”

AHS Spanish teacher Tiffini Banks said she was please the board is widening its search for the next superintendent, but pointed out the cost of the search.

“I take issue with the fact that the board initially spent $25,000, plus several thousand in attorney fees to search for a candidate and than select someone internally,” she said. “The total waste of money should not be pushed under the rug.”

Banks then pointed out that in recently filing her taxes, she determined that she spent $1,500 on school supplies for her classes, and that the amount is a common one for her and other teachers. She then listed school items and funded positions that could have been paid for with the money used for the search, including color printers, desks, and extra staff positions.

“We understand this district has a serious budget crunch,” Banks continued. “When we hear that $25,000 has just went up in smoke, it leaves a very, very bad taste in our mouths.”

After the public comment, Superintendent Tom Butler who is retiring at the end of the school year, thanked all the speakers for their input at the start of his superintendent’s report.

In other business, the board unanimously approved the district renewal for E-Rate, a federal program that allows the district to get internet access and networking services at a discount, and approved the district second interim budget report, again unanimously.

During final comments, each of the trustee expressed their condolences over the death of José Gutiérrez, the 11-year-old Atascadero Middle School student, who died in a hit-and-run the previous Friday.

Finally, acting Board President Denise McGrew-Kane announced that the next Board of Trustees meeting, on April 1, will be held at Santa Margarita Elementary School, located at 22070 H St. in Santa Margarita. Closed session will begin at 5 p.m., and open session at 7 p.m.