Board approves motion to make board meeting agendas digital

ATASCADERO — At its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) Board of Trustees said goodbye to two of its own, Trustee Matt Pennon and current President Terri Switzer (who did not run for reelection during the Nov. 5 election).

During the Board Members’ Report, Pennon asked to be allowed to give his update last before Switzer, as it was his final board meeting.

“Good evening, AUSD; as I address you all for the final time as a trustee on this board, I want to start by expressing my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of serving this community,” stated Pennon at the top of his departing speech. “It had been an honor to work for you for the past two years, and my commitment to advocating for our students, teachers, and families remains as strong as ever.” 

Pennon, who ran for reelection this year, went on to say that he has concerns about the pending results of the Nov. 5 election, which have not been officially called at this time. Currently, Joey Arnold, Corrine Kuhnle (who ran for reelection), and Roni Decoster have garnered the most votes. He went on to say that, in his opinion, two of the individuals lack experience or a clear understanding of what the role demands.

“One who did not participate in campaign events or present the community with a vision of our district. Another candidate secured their seat through manipulative tactics and the advantage of name recognition rather than a genuine commitment to working for our schools or understanding how they work,” continued Pennon. “The third, while bringing extensive experience as a trustee, has consistently concealed their true intentions and aligned themselves with an anti-public-education faction of this board, prioritizing political maneuvering over the needs of our students, teachers, and families.”

He continued by commenting on two more board members being involved with what he believes to be anti-public-education organizations, but he then went on to say that he looks forward to the district having a new superintendent and that he envisions a leader who will prioritize open communication within all factions of the district.

“Tonight is also my last board after 22 years, and I would like to say I will miss the staff. I will miss the people that I’ve come to meet and become friends with. I won’t miss coming to meetings. I’m sorry, I’m just not going to miss that,” stated President Switzer. “I’ve learned so much, and as a board member, I think when you come in to be a board member, you don’t need to know everything. You don’t need to know how everything works because you have a staff that has a job. That that’s their job and your job is to guide your superintendent and your staff.”

She went on to say that she’s worked with four different superintendents during her time on the board and that she’s enjoyed her time working with Tom Butler and the AUSD staff.

“You do great jobs, and you put your kids first, and I totally appreciate that, and I love that you don’t have an agenda or anything that drives you other than just for the goodness of our kids,” Switzer concluded as she addressed the staff. “I appreciate that, and I have felt very honored working with you guys, and I will miss you. I just won’t miss the meetings.”

Trustee Vy Pierce then read a proclamation deeming Dec. 2 as AUSD Day of the Special Educator. 

The trustees were also presented with the CSBA GAMUT Board Meetings online service by Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services E.J. Rossi.

“This is an item that we’ve had some board members ask us about. What the GAMUT Board Meetings is is a service provided through California School Board Association for online creation and access of board agendas,” stated Rossi.

He went on to highlight the impact approving CSBA GAMUT Board Meetings would have on staff, for board members, and for the community. Staff will be able to digitally add to an agenda, and different levels of contributors will be able to input into agendas. It would also make links on the agenda clickable. As of right now, the agendas are only available in PDF format. The school board would be able to ask for the agenda electronically or in paper format, and in paper format, they could ask for specific parts of the agenda, like action items only.

“One of the parts that’s really good, too, is looking at the ease of communication for our community,” Rossi added. “Once these agendas are put online they’re very easy to access. So they would have that same access just click and get the support information.”

The item was approved with trustees Kuhnle and Pierce voting no. Trustee Denise McGrew-Kane was absent from the meeting. The program will cost the district roughly $5,200 and should be up and running by the February 2025 meetings.

The next regularly scheduled AUSD Board of Trustees meeting will be on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m.