Many fear retribution for speaking out against apparent hopeful for superintendent position

ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees started its regular meeting at 7 p.m. on March 4, and spent a good part of it hearing comments about what was happening during the previous closed session: Supposedly, talks about Assistant Superintendent E.J. Rossi being considered to replace outgoing Superintendent Tom Butler.

Butler announced in September 2024 that he would retire at the end of this school year. The board began the process to find Butler’s successor in October 2024 and during the Nov. 7, 2024, meeting selected the Leadership Associates firm to conduct the search for the new superintendent.

Rossi is the assistant superintendent for educational services, and apparently has emerged as a top candidate for Butler’s position. He came to the district in 2007 as the assistant principal at Atascadero High School, soon moved up to principal, and was promoted to AUSD administration in 2015.

Earlier at 5 p.m., before the board went into closed session, officials from the two unions representing AUSD employees spoke about the superintendent search, which was listed on the meeting agenda as a possible topic in closed session.

Laine Hoppert, who works in Food Services for the district, came as a steward for the California School Employees Association, representing the AUSD classified employees. Andrew Weatherly, a mechanics and welding teacher at AHS, is president of the Atascadero District Teachers Association.

Hoppert spoke first addressing the superintendent search, and mentioning that many of the employees under Rossi’s supervision are under her umbrella as a union steward and that she has heard “questions, concerns, and complaints” about working under the candidate, and that most are reluctant to speak at the meeting because they fear the “possibility of retaliation.”

“That blows me away; I don’t understand it,” Hoppert said. “Anyone should be able to come here tonight and talk to all of you, and voice their concerns. I’d rather the people who were talking to me were here tonight talking to you.

Hoppert said some of the classified employees who fall under the ed services umbrella have come to her with “overwhelming concerns” about Rossi taking over as superintendent.

“They’ve asked for training, guidance, and clarity on specific duties and feel they’re being ignored,” she said. “Some feel ED services has been lacking in leadership for the past nine years. They’re concerned with the lack of positive growth and communication that hasn’t changed, and wonder how it will be in the superintendent’s position.”

Weatherly, who came to the podium with Hoppert, informed the board that CSEA and ADTA will be working together to address the issue, and offered to sit down with at least a majority of trustees to discuss it.

At the beginning of the regular meeting, Board President Tracy Ellis-Weit declared there was no action taken in closed session. However, the apparent negotiations for the superintendent’s position were addressed again during Oral Communication from the Public.

Five speakers commented on the potential hire, and echoed the concerns Hoppert mentioned earlier, but some also cited a financial matter in one of Rossi’s previous jobs.

While he was principal at AHS in 2009, it was reported that Rossi agreed to return $32,000 to the San Ardo School District (SASD), for which he was the superintendent, after accusations of misusing funds. Rossi did not admit wrongdoing in the agreement.

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 first speaker, Atascadero Middle School teacher Jehan Mirzaei, first mentioned that he has not seen evidence of input from faculty and staff members in the search. He then recalled being required to return lunches and “jump through hoops” to get a new roll of toilet paper for the bathroom, and then Googline the candidate’s name and seeing the story about Rossi’s payment to his previous school district.

“I jump through hoops to be accountable, and you’re considering a candidate who has not been accountable in the past,” Mirzaei asked. “Please find a different candidate.”

Atascadero Middle School teacher Jen Pence, who’s child is a student in the district, expressed her opposition to the possible hire by using the “Claim, Evidence, Reasoning” method she teaches her science students.

Pence began with the question, “Is the potential candidate from our district the best choice or the easiest?” Then she listed her reasons for opposing the potential hire.

“The union president doesn’t back this hire, and on the staff of AMS, not one teacher supports the candidate,” Pence said. “And then, you do a Google search on him, and the first link that comes up is a story about him have to pay back a school district for misappropriating funds.”

Pence concluded by circling back to her “claim” and asking the board to “choose the best, not just the easiest. If middle schoolers can follow this process, so can you.”

It should be noted that other than a quick mention during public comment, Rossi was not identified by name.

After the public comment ended, the trustees thanked the speakers for their input, but did not address any of their concerns or complaints.

In other business;

The trustees congratulated Paloma Creek High School, the district’s continuation school, which just received the designation as a Model Continuation School, one of 74 in the state.

Principal Dr. Libby Madding thanked the board and described the school’s curriculum as one that aims to turn the students into “self-directed individuals,” and prepares them to excel not just in the classroom but outside of it, like in job interviews or engaging in the community.

The board adopted Resolution 16-24-25, which approved a mitigated negative declaration and mitigation monitoring toward getting a new water tank for Carissa Plains Elementary School. AUSD Director of Support Service Brant Lloyd said the project is now waiting on getting state funding, which he is confident they will get, saying “the state’s on board with this.”

Finally, right before she adjourned the meeting, Ellis-Weit announced she is stepping down as board president for “personal reasons.” There was no indication on who would take over that position on board.

The next AUSD meeting will be a facility study session on Tuesday, March 11, at 3 p.m. The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, March 18, at 5 p.m.